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Comment by hcho | Hacker News Reader

There's very little that can go wrong in an electric vehicle. The only thing which can go terribly wrong is the battery pack; any damage there would mean a write off anyway.

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Which would be awesome if it were true.

They are mechanically far more simple. We can quibble about the electronics until the cows come home, but ICE powered cars have electronics, too; so they aren't immune from problems.

Yes I understand that. I'm not saying that. The parent to my comment made it sound like there really can't ever be any problems (not verbatim, just the tone I read it with) with the cars, and let's be honest, that just isn't exactly true. I have nothing against Tesla - shit, if I had $100k I'd have the Tesla Model S I want.

Didn't really feel like I should be downvoted for my comment up-stream either.

Firmware errors. Loose wiring. Rotor overheating + damage. Brake sensors and control units. Steering component damage (e.g. from bumping up against a curb too violently.) Fried caps, just like everyone else. Damaged charging control units from poorly behaving charging stations. Distortions in the touch screens from heat. Damage to switches and doors from de-icing fluid. Damage to the underbody from road salt. Rusted connections in tail light fixtures. Damaged and/or leaking suspension seals. Air conditioning unit leaks/damage.

Dog hair, child puke, vomit entering electrical panels, jamming seatbelt mechanisms.

Light collision damage.

Etc.

Right. Now compare that list to the list of stuff that can go wrong with an ICE or hybrid car. You'll quickly find that it is significantly shorter.

I was refuting that electric cars had nothing that could go wrong, not that the were less reliable than a hybrid car.

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