Essential Maintenance Tips for Your EV
Photo: General Motors
It’s true that electric vehicles don’t need oil changes, spark plugs, or fuel filters — but that doesn’t mean they’re maintenance-free. While EVs are easier to care for than their combustion-engine counterparts, every automobile needs regular TLC to stay in good condition. Here are a handful of tips to help you keep your EV in tip-top condition.
Keep Your Car in Pristine Condition: Check out these eco-friendly car maintenance tips
High and low temperatures
While cold temperatures will reduce your electric car’s range, high heat can shorten the life of its battery pack altogether. Whenever possible, park indoors or in the shade to protect your car from the elements.
Charging issues
Public fast chargers are convenient, but they’re also hard on your car’s battery. If they’re the bread-and-butter of your EV charging routine, your vehicle’s battery will probably need to be replaced earlier than expected. That said, car batteries are designed to occasionally take these powerful charges, so don’t worry about a fast charger putting excess wear and tear on your car if you’re on a road trip. The slower — but healthier — way to charge your EV’s battery is using a Level 2 home charger or a 110-volt drip charger.
Overcharging and undercharging
Experts recommend keeping your EV’s battery charged between 20 and 80 percent. If your car is overcharged or undercharged, it could put unnecessary strain on the battery. Luckily, most EVs have settings that enable you to choose how much you’d like to charge your vehicle.
Other typical maintenance tasks
In addition to these EV-specific maintenance tips, it’s important to remember other important vehicle care tasks. About every five years, or as recommended by your vehicle owners’ manual, have the coolant circuit and brake fluid flushed. As a general guideline, it’s a good idea to change out the wiper blades every 15,000 miles, and switch out the cabin air filter in 36,000-mile intervals. It’s also a good idea to check your tire pressure monthly, and give them a visual inspection. Check them for cracks, bulges, and blisters.
Need more maintenance tips? Check out handy guide to giving your car a quick clean-up.
Kimiko Kidd is a native Daytonian. She graduated from Wright State University with degrees in environmental science and sociology. She loves her trusty old Honda Civic, but dreams of owning a 1974 Ford Falcon XB with a custom paint job and a vintage Kawasaki Z1000. In her free time, Kimiko can be found watercolor-painting, baking muffins, collecting rocks, playing old-school Nintendo games, writing her novel, sewing stuffed animals, and cosplaying as her favorite Mad Max characters. See more articles by Kimiko.