http://www.almaral.com/what-type-of-regular-maintenance-can-one-expect-for-an-electric-vehicle/ Both Earth and Money Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:14:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://www.almaral.com/what-type-of-regular-maintenance-can-one-expect-for-an-electric-vehicle/comment-page-1/#comment-641 apeweek Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:41:49 +0000 http://www.almaral.com/what-type-of-regular-maintenance-can-one-expect-for-an-electric-vehicle/#comment-641 What kind of maintenance does an EV need? Very little. That's part of the beauty of it. Check the batteries once a month or so to be sure they don't need water, and the connections are clean and tight. Keep your tires properly inflated for good performance. Maintain the clutch, brakes, and suspension as you normally would. Change the brushes on the motor (a minor operation) at about 80,000 miles. My biggest worry would be when and how much to change out the battery pack. What kind of maintenance does an EV need?
Very little. That’s part of the beauty of it. Check the batteries once a month or so to be sure they don’t need water, and the connections are clean and tight. Keep your tires properly inflated for good performance. Maintain the clutch, brakes, and suspension as you normally would. Change the brushes on the motor (a minor operation) at about 80,000 miles.
My biggest worry would be when and how much to change out the battery pack.

]]> http://www.almaral.com/what-type-of-regular-maintenance-can-one-expect-for-an-electric-vehicle/comment-page-1/#comment-640 dbbrotma Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:26:25 +0000 http://www.almaral.com/what-type-of-regular-maintenance-can-one-expect-for-an-electric-vehicle/#comment-640 The answer to this question depends on which vehicle you get. Newer EVs may have advanced battery technology like NIMH or Li-Ion batteries, which in most cases require no maintenance. On the other hand, an older EV with flooded lead-acid batteries will need water levels checked monthly, periodic balancing charges, and battery replacement every 3 to 8 years. Likewise, newer EVs use AC motors, which literally require zero maintenance. An older EV with a DC motor may need brushes replaced after about 80,000 miles. In any event, it's not very much maintenance to worry about. You will have to attend to brakes, tires, and similar components that exist on typical cars. But there will be no tune-ups, oil changes, radiator flushes, or other engine maintenance to worry about. When considering total cost of ownership, find out your electric rate. Some utilities (like mine here in Michigan) have special EV charging rates. Take the number of miles you drive per month, and figure out your fuel costs for both a typical car, and an EV (I usually figure 4 miles per kilowatt-hour, that's close to what an EV would use.) If your EV uses modern battery technology, find out what the batteries are warranted for, and what the trade-in value is. Many newer batteries are warranted for 100,000 miles, or even longer. If you plan to trade the car before this point, battery cost may not even be a factor for you. Older battery technology is not so long lived. I have a pack of 16 flooded batteries in my EV, that will probably last me 8 years. Buying in bulk, with old batteries to trade in, my cost is about $800 to replace them. That makes my average cost per year for batteries about $100. The answer to this question depends on which vehicle you get.
Newer EVs may have advanced battery technology like NIMH or Li-Ion batteries, which in most cases require no maintenance.
On the other hand, an older EV with flooded lead-acid batteries will need water levels checked monthly, periodic balancing charges, and battery replacement every 3 to 8 years.
Likewise, newer EVs use AC motors, which literally require zero maintenance. An older EV with a DC motor may need brushes replaced after about 80,000 miles.
In any event, it’s not very much maintenance to worry about. You will have to attend to brakes, tires, and similar components that exist on typical cars.
But there will be no tune-ups, oil changes, radiator flushes, or other engine maintenance to worry about.
When considering total cost of ownership, find out your electric rate. Some utilities (like mine here in Michigan) have special EV charging rates. Take the number of miles you drive per month, and figure out your fuel costs for both a typical car, and an EV (I usually figure 4 miles per kilowatt-hour, that’s close to what an EV would use.)
If your EV uses modern battery technology, find out what the batteries are warranted for, and what the trade-in value is. Many newer batteries are warranted for 100,000 miles, or even longer. If you plan to trade the car before this point, battery cost may not even be a factor for you.
Older battery technology is not so long lived. I have a pack of 16 flooded batteries in my EV, that will probably last me 8 years. Buying in bulk, with old batteries to trade in, my cost is about $800 to replace them. That makes my average cost per year for batteries about $100.

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