We are on the verge of a new era in the personal car, and our old habits for car maintenance need to be refreshed to account for some new components. Some of the coming electric cars are purely electric, having no internal combustion components at all. Many of the traditional car maintenance services are now no longer needed. Gone are the engine oil, oil filters, air filters, and gasoline filters. However, the electrics are not maintenance-free. Pure electrics still have a drive train including tires and transmissions. They also have brake systems and steering systems. Of course, safety laws still require operable electric systems. All exterior lights need to be checked, and the level of the power steering fluid should be checked every few thousand miles to ensure it is adequate. Tire manufacturers and car manufacturers will still recommend tire rotation, and of course tires will still have a useful life measured somewhere in the 40,000 to 60,000 mile range. Tire rotation every 5,000 to 15,000 miles should be adequate, and periodically inspect brake pads for wear, replacing them when they are around 90% worn. For these types of cars, the major task will be to remember to do the maintenance at all. Many of us use our periodic oil changes as the best reminder to check all the other fluids, belts, and systems. Without that oil change, make sure that you are diligently tracking your maintenance of these other systems. However, some electric cars are also internal combustion cars. For example, the Chevrolet Volt will contain both an electric drive and a regular gasoline engine. However, unlike hybrid cars which use the gas engine to drive the powertrain, the Volt will use the engine only to recharge the electric motor. It will always be the electric motor to power the car. The significance is that a Volt owner will still need to do the same types of maintenance as traditional cars, although likely at longer intervals than normal internal combustion engines. Where electric cars pose a new challenge are the maintenance of brushes and batteries. The motor brushes transmit electric power within the motor to provide electric current to a rotating motor component that is linked to the driveshaft. Previous electric cars show that we can expect to replace those brushes about every 80,000 miles. In addition, electric cars will not use typical car batteries. Their new batteries will be high tech, and are used differently. Typical car batteries provide heavy cranking power only to start the engine, and then are charged by the alternator for the remainder of the time the car is operating. The new electric car batteries will consistently deliver power and will be used throughout their full range of charge. Battery replacement will be a major component of your maintenance cycle for the electric cars, and will comprise a major part of the costs of maintaining these cars. Overall, electric car maintenance will not be drastically different from normal cars, and with some forethought and diligence the new maintenance tempo will become as natural as our current habits which largely center on the 5,000 mile oil change. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society