Servicing an EV is similar to any other car but with a few notable differences. Obviously there are fewer moving parts and components we had to change every few years, such as cam-belts and fan-belts, just aren’t used at all in an EV, so don’t need replacing.
However most manufacturers quote the same service intervals for EVs as for petrol cars. This is because our driving habits remain broadly similar even when driving an EV and we tend to cover the same distances each year, so items such as tyres and suspension are subject to the same amount of wear so need checking at the same intervals.
There has been some discussion regarding brakes on electric vehicles with fake news stories about them generating more harmful brake dust because EVs tend to be heavier than petrol cars. However, EVs use regenerative braking for the vast majority of driving, this means slowing the car down is done by the electric motors themselves. As this happens the inertia of the vehicle turns the motors and provides a brief amount of re-charging to the batteries, just like a dynamo. The traditional brakes systems as used in petrol cars are purely a backup.
The electric motors used in EVs also have fewer moving components so are less prone to wear and failure but they do need inspecting at regular intervals, as do the HT leads connecting the electric components (usually coloured bright orange). Garages with the necessary equipment can also check the performance of individual cells in the battery and ensure optimal performance is maintained.
One area where servicing of EVs is changing is with manufacturers using ‘condition-based servicing’. This ignores the regular interval or mileage based servicing and recommends servicing based on your driving characteristics and vehicle use. The vehicle monitors your vehicle usage, your driving style and the daily road conditions and will alert you when a service is due. So an enthusiastic or harsh driving style will mean more servicing. But even if you drive like a saint the intervals are not likely to be longer than 2-years.
