What will wear items be in electric cars once common?

Silver · Jan 4, 2022

So things like brake pads, shocks, etc will be the same.

But like instead of fuel injector cleaning, might we need to clean brushes?

Instead of serpentine belts, pinion gears?

I can't image a decent electric motor ever wearing out, and the transmissions/transaxles are pretty simple correct? No torque converter to slip.

What do you think will be the most difficult item(s) to maintain as miles rack up?

JHZR2 · Jan 4, 2022

Silver said:
So things like brake pads, shocks, etc will be the same.

But like instead of fuel injector cleaning, might we need to clean brushes?

Instead of serpentine belts, pinion gears?

I can't image a decent electric motor ever wearing out, and the transmissions/transaxles are pretty simple correct? No torque converter to slip.

What do you think will be the most difficult item(s) to maintain as miles rack up?

Youll see different brake issues. I see that the rotors on my accord hybrid, especially rear ones, dont wear enough to get rust off completely.

Suspension is the same
Bearings for wheels and for motors. Bearings for motors may be a particular issue if they become a conduction path.
Contactors for the battery
All the interior and trim
AC system
etc.

barryh · Jan 4, 2022

Silver said:
So things like brake pads, shocks, etc will be the same....

.....What do you think will be the most difficult item(s) to maintain as miles rack up?

Brake pads and discs have the potential to last very much longer due to regenerative braking.

Suspension components will get a hard time due to the weight. After that it's drive train electronics which will be expensive to repair due to limited trained technicians able to work on the high voltage systems.

EV's should be cheaper to maintain but they won't be until we get some simple EV's rather than all high end like Tesla

Silver · Jan 4, 2022

barryh said:
EV's should be cheaper to maintain but they won't be until we get some simple EV's rather than all high end like Tesla

Yeah I think it's a tragedy that the EV market is getting its feet off the ground in high end expensive stuff as opposed to vehicles that can save us money and simplify our lives.

I'd like a 1987 S-10 with a simple electric motor.

SwampSurvivor · Jan 4, 2022

Brakes. Especially up here in the rustbelt. They get used so infrequently , especially with the very agressive regenerative breaking that the rotors rust right up and chew the pads.

TCL · Jan 4, 2022

Tires...

dareo · Jan 4, 2022

TCL said:
Tires...

Take that gas station money right to the tire shop with your torquey motors!

JeffKeryk · Jan 4, 2022

Tesla recommends cleaning and lubing brake components in inclement weather. My understanding is, brakes last for 100K.
As @JHZR2 posted, besides the drivetrain they have similar wear items.

Here's the Tesla Maintenance Schedule

mightymousetech · Jan 4, 2022

Tires and suspension components will wear faster due to vehicles nearly double the weight.

Tman220 · Jan 4, 2022

I got a friend that is a Tesla mobile tech. He pretty much spends his entire day fixing/upgrading modules, firmware updates, other odd electrical issues and gremlins.

Lots of warranty work with headlights, door handles, other interior bits.

Also, up here in the rust belt, lots and lots of brake issues because they don't get used a lot. Tires wear very quickly, combine weight, torque, with a general sportier nature of the 19-21" tires they have as well.

vw7674 · Jan 4, 2022

The 9,866 cell phone batteries lashed together are concern enough.
Pass.

CKN · Jan 4, 2022

vw7674 said:
The 9,866 cell phone batteries lashed together are concern enough.
Pass.

Tesla's have a 8 year -150,000 mile warranty. Anybody who can afford one isn't going to keep it that long. I don't keep my ICE vehicles that long.....

Kiwi_ME · Jan 4, 2022

Brushes, lol, it's not a forklift!

Aside from the rust-related issues that I'll never see it's only tires and suspension that immediately come to mind.

However in some EVs such as my own and the Nissan Leaf, the brake hydraulics are quite complicated because the pedal feel has to be faked when regen is substituted, switch back to normal when regen is insufficient or unavailable, and still maintain the expected level of failsafe operation present in legacy dual-circuit systems. It does this transparently using a second electrically-powered master cylinder and solenoid valves to oppose the foot pedal, effecting the expected resistance.

The overall system is fairly complicated and I would be careful about following the specified brake fluid change intervals, for which it's currently understood that the dealer uses their computer to help carry out. If that was ignored and the system required replacement, I could see this being an expensive repair until these parts become more commonly found.

Another possible repair issue is the reversible heat pump system that many markets have, not present on US Kona models.

skyactiv · Jan 4, 2022

The More You Know Alert!

I'll add a piece of maintenance and knowledge some Hybrids and maybe some electric vehicles have that not everyone knows about.
My wife's Corolla Hybrid has a battery fan filter. It's located on the side corner of the rear seat. The fan is to keep the battery from getting too warm. You do not want to block the vent(s) as an example with a blanket, stuff animal, duffel bag.. .

wpod · Jan 4, 2022

I would imagine the motors are brushless A/C and the speed control and electronics could need replacing.

Passport1 · Jan 4, 2022