Are you tossing around the idea of buying an electric car? If so, welcome to the club – more and more drivers are seeing the benefits of these incredible vehicles. Owning an electric car helps you reduce your carbon footprint AND save money on fuel. However, caring for it is pretty different from what you’re probably used to with your gasoline-powered or even hybrid car; Toyota of N Charlotte is here to explain.
How is electric car maintenance different?
Believe it or not, even though an electric car seems like it’s much more high-tech than a gasoline-powered car the car maintenance is actually a lot cheaper and simpler. Why? Because there’s a whole lot less going on under the hood than there is in cars that utilize gasoline. You’ll find fewer mechanical components there as well as far fewer fluids. To give you a clearer picture, if you own an electric car you’ll be able to skip auto service appointments like:
- Oil changes and oil filter changes
- Cooling system flushes
- Water pump replacements
- Radiator service and replacement
- Fuel injection system service
- Fuel pump replacements
- Transmission service
- Spark plug replacement
- Engine gasket repair
- Differential service
- Tune-ups
While you’ll still need to get brake service for an electric car, these vehicles use regenerative braking systems. These systems are much gentler on brake pads so you won’t need brake service nearly as often. You’ll also need a battery replacement, but not for a long time – electric car batteries are designed (and warrantied!) to last 8-10 years or 100,000 miles. To put it all into perspective, electric car maintenance costs about 1/3 of what you’d spend on a gasoline-powered car for maintenance. (PLUS you’re spending less on fuel… it’s a win.)
So, what car maintenance besides brakes and battery will you need for an electric car? Here are the appointments you should be making at the Toyota of N Charlotte service center:
- Tire rotations and checking both tire pressure and tire tread
- Replacing your cabin air filter
- Replacing your wiper blades and filling up your wiper fluid
- Replacing burnt out light bulbs
And have our techs at Toyota of N Charlotte routinely check things like your suspension and your power steering.
Don’t forget – you know your car better than anyone. If you notice a strange smell, an odd noise, or see something wrong, bring it into our N Charlotte auto service center to let our techs take a look.
Schedule electric car maintenance at Toyota of N Charlotte
Have questions about electric car maintenance? We’ve got answers. Call Toyota of N Charlotte today at (704) 659-2025 or stop by – we’re conveniently located just off I-77 at exit 23 in Huntersville. You can also schedule your car maintenance online!
