Understand an Electric Vehicle's Maintenance Needs

Electric vehicles offer substantial benefits over gasoline powered vehicles, and one of these many perks include the overall cost of ownership. In addition to the fuel savings, electric vehicles require far less maintenance than their gasoline counterparts. However, many drivers and prospective owners believe that electric vehicles need absolutely no service at all. Unfortunately, this is not true. While electric car maintenance is minimal, EVs do need a little TLC to return their best performance and reliability.

At Lupient Chevrolet, not only do we provide a wide selection of electric vehicles for you to choose from, but we also offer a specially trained Service Center that can handle all of your electric vehicle’s needs. Whether you are in need of basic EV maintenance, such as tire rotation and air filter replacement service, or you need battery pack service, our experts are trained to handle all of your electric vehicles needs. Let's take a look at electric car maintenance needs and discover why drivers choose Lupient Chevrolet for all of their auto-related needs.

What Does EV Maintenance Look Like

Because electric vehicles do not have many moving parts, they require far less attention. However, electric vehicles do have regular maintenance needs. While we recommend that you consult with your owner’s manual for your model’s exact needs, here is what you can expect for your average electric vehicle:

Every 7,500 Miles

• Rotate tires
• Perform multi-point inspection

Every 12,000 Miles

• Replace Windshield Wipers

Every 75,000 Miles

• Replace suspension struts
• Service battery coolant system

Common EV Maintenance Questions

Electric car drivers often wonder about vital components such as the battery, and their brakes. Here are two of the most common questions that we receive:

What about battery service?
Your electric vehicle's battery is warrantied for eight years or 100,000 miles, and is expected to last far beyond that. If properly cared for, your electric vehicle battery will need little to no service, and is expected to last for many miles beyond its manufacturer warranty.

What about brakes?
Electric vehicles use regenerative braking to slow you down, and use friction brake pads as a secondary source of braking. Because regenerative braking involves capturing kinetic energy and sending it back to the battery, this creates minimum need for your friction brake pads. Though this sounds like strange science to some drivers, it translates to extended brake life for your vehicle, and a minimal need for brake pad replacement.

A Few EV Tips for a Happy Electric Vehicle

Here are a few tips to keep your electric vehicle and it's by shape throughout its life:

Avoid Fast Charging
– although fast charging is a quick way to recharge your battery, it puts extreme strain on your vehicle by forcing high currents at high temperatures into your battery pack. While this is okay for periodic use such as for road trips, regular fast charging can prematurely age your battery.

Avoid Full Charges and Dead Batteries
– Lithium-ion batteries return their longest life and their best performance when kept between 50 and 80% charge. Operating your electric car with a low battery or fully charging your vehicle every night will quickly degrade your battery and return a reduced life.

Schedule an Appointment at Lupient Chevrolet

At Lupient Chevrolet, EV service is just a click or call away. Thanks to our dedicated electric car service center, all of your maintenance and repair needs can be found under one roof. Located in Bloomington, MN, we offer renowned service and repair services in the Minneapolis, MN, Richfield, MN, and Bloomington, MN areas.

For trustworthy electric car maintenance, schedule an appointment at Lupient Chevrolet! Be sure to take advantage of our current service specials so you can enjoy certified service at unbeatable prices!