Electric cars are increasingly popular as people begin to mind their carbon footprint just a bit more. After all, there are quite a few advantages they offer over traditional cars. However, electric car maintenance can require a little bit of a different plan in place than your traditional vehicle. So, we’re here to help you take care of your new vehicle and keep it running for a very long time.
Electric Car Maintenance: What Not To Skip
Brakes
Your brakes are just as important for electric car maintenance as they are with other vehicles. The key difference, however, is related to how the brake pads work for electric cars. These cars use a “regenerative system” to create the energy to move. This system relies more on the resistance of the electric motors to slow down more so than the pads themselves.
As a result, your brake pads will wear out more gradually when compared to other cars. This can cause you to fall into a bad habit of not checking your brake pads and fluid like you should until it’s too late. Instead, be sure you regularly check your pads and fluids and replace them as needed.
Tire
Another key part of electric car maintenance are your tires. Unlike traditional cars, electric cars make use of special low-resistance tires. Like with the brakes, this can make drivers think that they don’t need to worry about their tires as much as they usually would.
In this case, despite the different kind of tires, they still will experience the same kind of wear. That’s why you can’t forget to inspect them for damage, cracks, or balding and uneven treads. It’s good to have them rotated occasionally as well to help even out the wear they experience.
Battery coolant
It’s not surprising that making sure your battery is in good shape is important for proper electric car maintenance. Due to how vital they are for electric vehicles, they need to be kept at a constant and healthy temperature. This will ensure you get both optimal performance and charge capacity for years to come.
Therefore, always check what temperature your manufacture recommends you keep your battery at. They should also provide info as to when you’ll want to change the coolant. Usually, they’ll either tell you how many miles or years you can go before it’s time for a change.