Edit: I agree that dealerships are mostly obsolete, but the internet is what really kills them off - customers can now deal directly with the manufacturer.
https://www.tesla.com/support/car-maintenance
> Unlike gasoline cars, Tesla cars require no traditional oil changes, fuel filters, spark plug replacements or emission checks. As electric cars, even brake pad replacements are rare because regenerative braking returns energy to the battery, significantly reducing wear on brakes.
Oil changes, by far, are the biggest differentiator here, assuming you don't do them yourself. That's every ~5000 miles (using synthetics you might go 7500-10,000) which is easily twice a year. (Intake air filters aren't quite as frequent but also need periodic replacement, and are specific to ICE.)
Inspection is every year or every other year in most U.S. states, regardless of powertrain. Not having emissions included in inspection just saves you money, not the number of visits.
Things like fuel filters and spark plugs are much less frequent - many spark plugs go 100K miles.
Brakes could be a bit of a differentiator, but really those are something you tend to replace at your inspection, so can be rolled into your annual.
Given all that, mechanics (you don't have to go to a dealership) could probably be reduced - places that can handle inspections and anything both EV and ICE powertrain vehicles require could be the norm, with a gradual reduction of the oil-change focused places as ICE cars faded in popularity.
Ironically, the trend with EV is that you are more likely to have to go to the brand-specific repair shop cough dealership than you would with ICE, where the knowledge of how to service just about any ICE car has been well-distributed (with some exceptions of brand-specific things, but even ICUs tend to have published information available to independent mechanics.)
For the rest of the lubricants (e.g. gearboxes), I can't really tell, but these normally last e.g. 5 years on an ICE and are not that expensive (except some funky auto transmissions).
Air filter is probably the cheapest and the easiest thing to replace on an ICE. Literally a 5 min job (washing your hands included :)).
Totally agree about annual inspections (of which breaks, suspension and lights checks are probably the most important).
I would seriously doubt the claimed brake fluid longevity on EVs. The biggest problem with brake fluid is that it is hygroscopic and you have to replace it e.g. every 3 years.
I strongly agree and sympathize with the last one about being forced to the brand-specific/dealership garage. I have the feeling this has become trendy for all manufacturers to build a "subscription" based business model.
In fact, with the exception of a clutch, every time any car I've owned has broken down its been a part which is common on EVs.
EVs still have dampers, ball joints, springs, brakes, wheel bearings, steering alignment. They still have power steering motors, lights, wing mirrors, windscreens. Those are all things I've replaced at some point.
EVs still corrode. EVs still have design flaws which mean water leaks into the cabin. EVs still have wiring issues (perhaps more!). EVs also weigh significantly more, which means the suspension has to work harder.
I'm sure EVs require _less_ maintenance (especially when they're less than 10 years old), and not having to do an annual/mileage based service is nice. But the idea that they're maintenance free is just nonsense. No car is.
This is not true at all. My daily driving 2013 EV with 90k miles still has the original tires and brakes. There's no oil to change and only a handful of mechanical components. The only think I've had to service is the 12v battery.
You can get an 80K mile tread warranty, and you can use tires beyond warranty. Of course, that is in no way specific to the powertrain of the car (unless you're using your powertrain to do burnouts...)
https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/how-old-and-dangerou....
I have a mode 3 and with regenerative breaking you end up using your breaks a lot less.
I imagine tires on a tesla would need to be serviced like any other sports car as they are definitely NOT using the sort of thing you'd find on a volt or leaf. My car came with "special" ev tires that are super hard and are inflated to 36 psi. My understanding is that a lot of the non sporty EVs have similar tires.
Commuting on glass smooth roads and driving with an egg under the throttle I can see 100k.
I'm not trying to dispute what's being reported, just wondering about what tires they put on that would last 90-100K.
Tesla is an odd beast because they staked their reputation on performance and kind of actually have to back it up. And they chew through tires about as fast/slow as any other performance sedan. Or at least that's my impression. Tesla stuff is 10yr and a couple tax brackets outside of what I usually deal with.
[1] https://shop.ford.com/configure/bronco/model/customize/base
Not true. I had a Leaf for 4 years and only had to rotate the tires and put in washer fluid. That's about 1 service visit a year.
At the same time I had a Subaru that needed two oil changes a year, in addition to tire rotations.
The brakes last much longer due to regenerative braking. (Basically, the motor slows the car down without using brake pads.)
Not even close. I was just talking with my service guy at the local VW dealership. The e-Golfs that come in are usually there for a few broken things. But the service is almost negligible unless your counting tire rotations and wiper blade changes.
And regenerative braking has dramatically extended brake wear.
* Power steering fluid
* Transmission fluid
* Differential fluid
* Lubricating oil fluid
That's over 20L less toxic, potentially leaky fluid than most current cars use.
Electric cars are more expensive, depreciate like other cars, but have powertrains that go a lot more miles before wearing out. As long as these things are true, it makes sense to pile on the miles as fast as you can. Even at cost parity, if obsolescence reduces the car's value fast enough, you still want to rack up the miles to maximize the economic benefit of that powertrain. Self-driving taxis are a great way to do that.
There's a climate benefit too. It takes a long time to replace the entire fleet, if you're waiting for people to buy themselves new cars. The more people ride self-driving electric taxis, the faster we lower emissions.