Maintenance Tips For Your EV

Electric vehicles (EVs) are superior in many ways to normal petrol/diesel cars. One of the ways is that an EV needs a lot less maintenance. However, despite the simplicity and convenience of electric cars, this isn’t to say it needs a little maintenance once in a while. Here are a few maintenance tips for your electric vehicle to keep it running buttery smooth for as long as possible.

How you Drive (and Tyres)

Changing the way you drive can drastically increase the longevity of your tyres. Whilst driving, try to avoid harsh acceleration, sudden braking and speeding around corners. Ensure your tyre pressure is at the correct level for your EV and the amount of weight you generally carry. Keep to the speed limit and do not drive fast. Not only is this illegal but driving fast will increase your chances of accidents that will badly damage your EV.

Battery

Being an electric vehicle, obviously the most important component is the battery. All EV batteries have a limited lifespan so it’s important to make yours last. Over time, batteries will lose their efficiency. This will mean they will lose their charging capacity, therefore reducing the number of miles they will be able to drive. If the battery dies or is underperforming, make sure to go to a workshop that is authorised to service EVs. Do not try to fix your battery on your own.

Brakes

EVs act as a motor, not only a generator. Taking your foot off the accelerator causes the EV motor to slow the car, mirroring the act of lowering gears in manual non-EVs. This gives electricity back to the car’s battery and is known as regenerative braking. You can maintain your brakes by anticipating the flow of traffic and staying a safe distance behind vehicles in front. Using regenerative braking will enable you to reduce the wear and tear on the braking system of your EV. 

Coolant

Electric vehicles contain a thermal management system. This prevents the battery motor overheating. A few manufacturers of EVs use coolant around their battery motors in order to keep the battery as cool as possible so it can maximise the performance of the battery. If the battery overheats, it can shorten its life. Make sure to do coolant system flushes regularly, especially if the overall system is not working as it should. This will prevent any issues like your battery catching fire.

If you’re looking for some other tips to take good care of your EV, take a look at our blog.