No One is Telling You the Truth About Electric Cars, So I Have To

today we are looking at whether the electric car means the end of diy repairs we'll see just how much maintenance electric cars need and how that impacts your wallet we'll also share some practical tips on how to care for your electric car so hop in and let's get going did you know that a conventional internal combustion engine can have as many as 2 000 moving parts but an electric car has far fewer moving parts that's because they have an electric motor instead of a gas powered motor for example the drivetrain in an electric vehicle can have around 20 parts so overall fewer moving parts means fewer mechanical problems but that doesn't mean electric cars are maintenance free either electric cars have complex electrical components like power steering motors ac pumps and high voltage relay banks so let's look at the five most common maintenance issues for electric vehicles and their costs the battery pack in an electric car is like the heart of the vehicle taking care of it as you would care for the engine in a regular gas powered car is very important keep in mind also that the battery of an electric car is not the same battery that we're used to seeing in a traditional car in terms of function the evs motor does the work traditionally done by the internal combustion engine to operate it needs the battery which powers it the battery is one of the most expensive parts of the electric vehicle in fact it's more expensive than the motor itself and its condition affects the residual value of the entire electrical vehicle so that's why it's important to take care of the battery it's good to keep in mind that it can get damaged if the vehicle is left in extremely hot or cold temperatures for too long or it can die completely if you charge it too much or too often generally under normal driving conditions electric vehicle batteries last up to 10 years before they need to be replaced some common reasons for failure include decrease in capacity or the loss of its ability to hold its charge it's estimated the average electric battery loses about 2.3 percent of its initial capacitive range every year in a car that is you will still be able to drive the car normally but with less range every year due to battery use by the way did you know that gm is developing a battery that is rated for a million miles if they succeed then you certainly won't have to worry about how long your vehicle's electric battery will last but until then you need to look after your car's electric battery to help you do just that here are some tips on how to care for your electric vehicle's battery first try to maintain battery level between twenty percent and eighty percent remember that repeated frequent recharging of the battery will degrade it more quickly so you don't wanna be charging it up to full every chance you get and vice versa if you leave the battery at a low level for too long that's bad too second know the difference between regular day-to-day driving versus a long road trip for instance if your normal commute is from home to work to the store and back home then charging to 80 or less shouldn't be a concern and it shouldn't cause you to have range anxiety you don't need to change the battery too often and unnecessarily but if you're planning on going on a long trip then it's better to fully charge the battery 100 and drive until it just about runs up that's the optimal way to charge for long trips third remember that batteries don't like extreme temperatures of course heat and cold impact the battery in different ways and to differing degrees for example electric vehicles have a longer range at higher temperatures but frequent exposure to hot conditions will degrade the battery more quickly do what you can to avoid leaving your electric car for several hours under the scorching sun park it in the shade on the other hand colder temperatures won't have the same degrading effect on the battery as the heat has but the cold will significantly reduce the range of the battery so in sub-zero temperatures it's better to leave the car in the garage and not out in the open but now let's look at the brakes of an electric vehicle electric vehicles use regenerative braking as well as conventional friction brake regenerative braking allows an electric vehicle to operate with what's called one pedal driving pressing the accelerator pedal sets the car in motion and if you release it the regenerative braking system is activated for example when you release the accelerator pedal the electric motor begins to work as a generator and something similar to conventional braking with a gasoline engine occurs therefore you can stop at a traffic light simply by releasing the accelerator or gas pedal when an electric car slows down it is at that moment the kinetic energy is converted back into electrical energy thereby recharging the battery it happens like this when an electric vehicle is breaking the electric motor stops powering the vehicle so that it slows down now that's disconnected from the battery the electric motor goes into generator mode generating electricity on its own from the braking then on the shaft of the electric motor we get braking torque from the resistance of the engine the captured energy then goes to the battery regenerative braking is more effective for your car so your braking system wear out much less frequently than a gasoline-powered car but you still have to replace your brake pads and discs as well as brake fluid from time to time although electric vehicles also use friction brakes they tend to last much longer than gasoline-powered vehicles the same applies to brake fluid brake pads and discs are compressed together using the same hydraulic fluid as a normal car this fluid is hydroscopic which means it loves to absorb water moisture from the air quick note about this your brake system will corrode if you don't flush it regularly so as with a conventional car you do have to regularly check the brake fluid top up as needed this is part of the maintenance needed in an electric car the same is the case with the coolant most electric vehicles use refrigerant to prevent the battery from overheating and catching fire frequency or flushing and replenishing the coolant varies from cars make and model so it's best to refer to the owner's manual and of course an electric car uses the same four wheels as a regular car that's why you need regular tire maintenance it's good to check the air pressure regularly and make sure they're properly balanced and line here's another thing some people say that the significant weight of the ev combined with the power of instant torque can lead to the tires needing replacement more often than with a conventional car the problem they argue is that an electric car's heavy battery means it weighs more than gasoline-powered siblings in other words what they're saying is the electric car with more acceleration power and more torque will wear out the tires faster and you'll have to visit your mechanic more often to replace the tires especially if you drive fast on the other hand there are others who believe that the problem can only happen if the car is driven very hard they mentioned for example the dodge challenger of the ford mustang which are inherently heavy cars with powerful engines and fast acceleration yet we don't hear about the problem of frequent tire changes related to that anyway if you're concerned about the tire issue perhaps the safe way to purchase replacement tires specifically designed for electric vehicles is to do a little research they are generally quieter more durable than traditional tires but regular tire maintenance will still remain an important service for the electric vehicle just as it's important for a conventional gasoline-powered car one thing is for certain you might be glad to learn that electric cars don't need oil changes they don't have an engine so they don't need engine oil also you don't need to worry about engine oil changes spark plugs or timing belt changes so it's a huge upside evs do however often use oil inside their gearbox which may need to be changed during lifespan so let's talk about the electric motor does the electric motor need to be serviced and what is its life expectancy in general electric car motors can last anywhere from 15 to 20 years provided they operate within specified norms and under ordinary operating conditions different electric cars use different types of electric motors the most common is the ac induction motor an electric motor's performance and life expectancy depends on various factors including unexpected load changes fluctuations in input power improper installation different environmental factors like humidity temperature and so forth a motor's torque impacts instant mechanical performance power quality also has a huge impact so you have a worn battery the power quality isn't as good it's going to wear the engine just like a worn out alternator in your car can wear your battery out or a worn out battery can wear out your car's alternator faster in an internal combustion engine so what are the top causes of electric motor failures needless to say without proper maintenance ev motors will break down more quicker than intended a common cause that impacts performance in life is contamination from chemicals or foreign particles like dirt and dust debris trapped inside engine can damage the ball bearings and raceways which can lead to high levels of wear and vibration the cooling fan can get blocked which then limits the motor's ability to regulate the temperature and that brings us to the next cause which is overheating overheating can be a critical issue it can be caused by high temperature outside or poor power quality in fact a significant percent of insulating failures in motors are because of overheating vibration is another enemy this can result from corrosion or misalignment another problem is electrical current overload this can be caused by low supply voltage which causes the motor to draw excess amount of current to maintain torque so are electric cars cheaper to maintain do evs require more or less maintenance than conventional cars and how much more economical are they when compared to cars with an internal combustion engine the truth is that electric cars require significantly less maintenance than gasoline-powered cars for obvious reasons fewer moving parts mean less repair and maintenance one survey showed that electric car drivers pay about half the cost to repair and maintain their vehicles according to one study consumers who buy an electric field can expect to save an average of forty six hundred dollars in repair and maintenance costs over the life of the vehicle compared to a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle so in the long run an ev can become less expensive to maintain as long as the battery doesn't go bad but that said no system is perfect there are still parts that can go wrong most common ev breakdowns are caused by punctures or issues with the battery but now you tell me what do you think about this do you have any personal experience with electric vehicle maintenance or any funnier horror stories please comment below and share if you enjoyed the video please subscribe to my channel thanks for your support [Music]

Channel: Scotty Kilmer

Views: 3,542,616

Keywords: auto, auto repair, car, car diy, car repair, cars, diy, how to, mechanic, repair, scotty kilmer, car review, buying a car, car advice, car buying, should I buy an electric car, electric car, electric cars, buying an electric car, electric car review, don't buy electric cars, electric car repair, electric car reliability, buying a used electric car, buying a new electric car, don't even think about it, the truth about electric cars, best electric car, worst electric car

Id: -gUAy2gSNWQ

Length: 10min 29sec (629 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 09 2021