With the number of newly purchased electric cars doubling within the last year, it’s safe to say that they’re growing in popularity and understanding electric car maintenance requirements will follow suit as will the used car market in Northern Ireland. With easy maintenance and less frequent servicing, it comes as no surprise that people are choosing to go electric.
Electric cars have not only attracted the technology savvy people, but those who want to live a more environmentally friendly life as it’s been proved that “one electric car on the roads can save an average 1.5 million grams of CO2”.
What’s better than keeping up with the newest technological advancements and saving the planet at the same time?
Fewer parts
Along with being much better for our planet, EV’s come with fewer parts which means less worry about replacing them-leading to cheaper general maintenance in comparison to a regular petrol or diesel car. Despite many car enthusiasts preferring to stick with the classic petrol and diesel cars, they may find themselves regularly replacing car parts which can be quite expensive.
With no more than 20 components in an Electric car and no oil filters or water pumps that need to be replaced, there is much less to worry about. Fault codes can be easily checked when connecting the car to a diagnostic machine.
Electric Car Battery Maintenance
Similarly with the battery, it is very low maintenance. You may think an electric car battery is similar to your smartphone or tablet and that you’ll have to dedicate a lot of time to re-charging; however, EV’s are equipped with a completely different type of battery to ensure a long battery life. Individual cells may be checked for performance along with a visual inspection of cables.
Charging your Electric Car
There are three different types of chargers depending on your car make, the size of your car’s battery size and how many miles you generally do in-between charging times.
- Slow charging time which takes up to 10 hours.
- Quick charging time which takes up to 4 hours.
- Very quick charging time which takes up to 1 hour.
You can find maps online of where charging places are located or download an similar app. – changed to zap map for EV charging points in NI
Three types of chargers:
- DC Chademo: for Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi.
- CCS Combo: for BMW, Volskwagen and Hyundai.
- AC (UK three pin plug, Type 1 plug and Type 2 plug): Renault Zoe.
Servicing your Electric Car
When it comes to servicing your Electric car, it’s best to contact an authorised dealer where an EV specialist can assist you, although a reputable local garage with professional mechanics will also be able to help you. Like any other vehicle, you should visit a specialist roughly once every year or two depending on the manufacturer.
The most important aspects to regularly monitor in an Electric vehicle are brakes, suspension and tyres. Even though EV’s need to be monitored regularly just like a petrol or diesel car, you can expect to pay even half less for a check-up.
In relation to Battery life, EV’s have a cooling system within them which ensures the battery is at the right temperature. In addition to this, most Electric Car manufacturers offer a battery warranty of between 3-10 years, so you don’t need to worry much about it.
Electric cars are undoubtedly the way forward, with a total ban of purchasing petrol and diesel cars starting in 2030.
Are you thinking about switching to Electric and removing your emissions contribution and carbon footprint? We have a series of blogs covering the topic.
