Electric Vehicle Maintenance Tips

When it comes to maintaining a vehicle, the love and attention you give it will always prolong the life of your car. Not only will it increase longevity, it will always keep it running at its peak performance.

During these times of ever skyrocketing gas prices, many people are making the switch to electric vehicles. Although electric vehicles are newer and require much less maintenance, they do still require some. Taking a few simple steps to ensure your vehicle performs at its best, and that it gets the longest run time possible can make a world of difference to your investment.

How Can I Take Care of My Hybrid or Electric Vehicle?

Every vehicle has different needs when it comes to regular maintenance. Electric vehicles are no different. If you don’t meet the auto care needs of your electric vehicle, a heft repair bill will inevitably follow at some point. Here are some of the most essential maintenance practices you should stay on top of if you own a hybrid or fully electric vehicle.

1.Battery

The battery is the beating heart of any hybrid or fully electric vehicle. Without it, you’ll only have a limited number of driving hours, if any. The most important thing you can do is perform routine checks of your lithium-ion battery pack.

The cycle count, fluid levels, refill ports, and connectors should all be regularly checked by a professional mechanical who knows electric vehicles well.

More often than not, this is done by electrical vehicle specialists at the dealerships where electric cars are purchased. Such as our friends at Tesla Studio Vancouver.

If you’ve noticed a shortened drive time, fluctuations in voltage, or any other indicators of a loss of power, get your vehicle to a mechanic to get it checked out. It could be the battery.

2.Brakes

It goes without saying that brake maintenance is an essential part of any vehicle. And with an electric vehicle, its especially critical. Why? Because electric vehicles use something call regenerative braking, which differs from non-hybrid and non-electric vehicles. Because of this automated braking technique that is initiated by the cars systems, the life of the brake pads is longer than that of a conventional gasoline powered car.

If you’re noticing any sort of braking issues, get your vehicle in for an inspection right away because it could a sign of a faulty braking system. In addition to this, you should also avoid driving excessively fast (although with something like a Tesla, it’s tempting…) because the fast you drive, the harder you have to brake. Harder braking results in more wear and tear on your brake pads, which results in maintenance that is required sooner than expected.

3.Tire Rotation

You might think this one sounds a little silly, but realistically, it’s an integral part of maintenance required on any vehicle. With an electric vehicle, it’s even more so. Hybrid and electrical vehicle’s wheels are noted for being stronger, more efficient, and comprised of a light weight durability that has long lasting features.

Any good mechanic or tire expert will advise you to rotate your electric vehicle’s tires every 15,000 kms to promote even wear and to check them for imperfections. This can help extend their life expectancy, and ensure you’re getting the optimal driving distance and gas mileage (if hybrid).

4.Use the Proper Charger

Now, we all know how using a phone charger that isn’t from the factory itself can impact the life and charging speed of our battery. Well, a hybrid or electric vehicle is no different. Using the charger that came with our vehicle is critical for keeping the battery working and charging at its best.

Not only was it specifically designed to be used with your vehicle, it typically comes with a proper covering shield and protective layers to ensure the driest, safest, and best connection possible while charging.

This will not only help maintain the best possible life expectancy of your battery, it also airs at preventing sparks, short circuiting, and power loss.

5.Choose Outdoor Parking Spots Carefully

You’re probably asking yourself right now, “what does where I park matter?”. That’s a great question, because it does. When you’re driving an electric or hybrid vehicle, the outdoor temperatures can have a big impact on not only the drivetime you get off each charge, but the way your vehicle operates. Let’s go back to the phone comparison.

Have you ever left your cell phone in the car on a hot summer day? Only to return to that dreaded beeping that indicates that your phone is too hot and must shut down to prevent permanent damage? Well, that’s because electronics and heat don’t make for a great combination. And electric vehicles are no different.

If you leave your car sitting in the sun on a scorching hot day (like the 40+ degree heat we get here in Vancouver), you put yourself at risk for having vehicle malfunctions. Similarly, when an electric vehicle gets left out in the freezing cold for too long, this can shorten the drive-time you get off your battery. To help prevent any sort of catastrophic damage to your vehicle or its battery, try to find covered parking during any severe weather conditions.

Hybrid Rebates in British Columbia

A hybrid or fully electric vehicle can be much more fuel efficient and better for the environment. However, these vehicles come with a heftier price tag than traditional gasoline powered vehicles.

The good news is that the federal and provincial governments have a wide range of incentives to encourage Canadians to make the switch to greener vehicles. There are rebates available for people switching from gas to electric. As well as rebates for those buying specific types of electric vehicles. You can find details about these and other incentives at the BC Hydro website or the Plug In BC website.

Also, there are cash incentives for selling your old car that can help reduce your initial start-up costs when purchasing electric. Such as selling your car for cash to a professional and licensed scrap car removal company, like our good friends at More Cash For Scrap!

Selling a Used Hyrbid or Electric Vehicle in Vancouver?

We are the experts when it comes to paying the MOST cash for cars in Metro Vancouver. We’ve been the #1 used vehicle buyer in all of the Lower Mainland since 1998. We worked hard to get us there, and even harder to keep our place as the top used car buyer in Vancouver.

We are always on the hunt to buy used vehicles, especially hybrids and electric vehicles. With so many people wanting to switch from gas to electric, we are able to pay top dollar for PHEV and electric vehicles. Contact our team of used car buyers today to find out just how much cash for cars you can get!

And as always, we handle all the paperwork, we come to you, and NOBODY Pays More!