Do Electric Cars Use Oil?

Electric vehicles are a paradigm shift in many ways. Beyond skipping gas stations entirely and waking up to a vehicle fully charged and ready to go, there are many maintenance procedures tied to standard engines that don’t apply to the far simpler drivetrains in electric vehicles. Do electric cars use oil? Do electric cars need oil changes? Do electric cars need periodic spark plug changes, tune ups, or other gasoline engine maintenance? The answer to all of the above is “No!”

While electric cars don’t need oil changes, other types of maintenance like wiper blade replacements and suspension work still apply the same way they would with a standard Internal Combustion Engine vehicle. ICE vehicles carry many handicaps that High Point drivers are learning don’t apply to BEVs like the Bolt EV and crossovers like the Bolt EUV. Let’s get into the details below.

What Fluids are in Electric Vehicles?

EVs are much simpler than ICE cars, but they still feature many of the same systems. Here are some of the fluids still important to EV operations:

• Brake Fluid: Like most cars, EVs feature hydraulically-actuated brakes, meaning that you’ll need to ensure your brake system’s fluid remains in the system and free of air bubbles to work well.
• Transmission fluid: Not every EV uses a transmission in the conventional sense, but many do still use gearboxes whose transmission fluid will need to eventually be replaced. Consult your owner’s manual for specific intervals.
• Coolant: Coolant is the fluid that the cooling system uses to regulate the temperature of the motors and battery of your EV. Coolant is just as important in an EV as it is in an ICE vehicle.

Electric Vehicle Parts

Here are a few parts that are integral to electric vehicles. You’ll notice that most of these are solid-state, meaning they are static electronics that require no lubrication, and last quite some time:

• Charging ports: These are the external chargers you use to charge the battery of your vehicle.
• Traction motors: These motors turn your vehicle’s wheels.
• Onboard charger: The charger converts the external charge you receive from a charging port into DC power.
• DC-DC converter: This converts the high-voltage direct current (DC) power that comes from the battery into the low-voltage DC power that moves the vehicle.
• Battery: Your battery stores the electricity that powers the motors as you drive.
• Thermal system: This system keeps your motors and electronic components from overheating.

Service Your EV at Terry Labonte Chevrolet

If your EV is in need of service, or you’d simply like to know more about the frequently talked about electric vehicles, contact us any time. Visit our showroom Kernersville near today!