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This is really the most exciting thing about electric-motor vehicles to me. With such fewer moving parts there's less to break down and go wrong. Having a vehi
by EADGBE 9y ago
This is really the most exciting thing about electric-motor vehicles to me. With such fewer moving parts there's less to break down and go wrong.
Having a vehicle that's more than likely able to last 25+ years without any real maintenance at all* is extremely enticing. I wonder how this will affect future electric car values. And I wonder if we can curb our consumerism mentalities to actually let something like this happen.
Unfortunately, with the tech-minded companies producing these vehicles; I'm afraid of planned obsolescence.
- outworlder 9y ago> With such fewer moving parts there's less to break down and go wrong. People don't really appreciate that enough. It's mostly solid state electronics. The only major degrading part is the battery. Its currently not too cheap to replace, but it is highly recyclable. Fix the battery and the car is basically new. The drivetrain will last for a long while.
- mywittyname 9y agoI'm not so sure about this; part of my father's business involves rebuilding electric motors and I was surprised by the rebuild intervals of some of them. I'm sure they will be engineered to a certain life expectancy, but I'm interested to see how long they will end up lasting in modern automotive applications.
- andars 9y agoWhat kind of electric motors? Brushed DC by chance?
- mywittyname 9y agoI don't know much about electric motors, but I think these are typically 230 or 460V AC, three-phase motors in the 10-30hp range. They operate in extreme conditions though, so that's certainly a factor.
- nradov 9y agoThe interior will still degrade from normal wear and tear. Cracked plastic, ripped upholstery, broken trim, etc. And if any part of the vehicle is made of steel it's eventually going to rust unless the operator is really diligent about preventative maintenance.
- EADGBE 9y ago30-year-old Corollas still limp around just fine. They may not be pretty, but definitely functional.
- nradov 9y agoSure they run. But the parent post stated that in electric cars only the batteries degrade. In reality a lot of other parts will also degrade.
- outworlder 9y agoSome people will replace their cars when they become cosmetically unsatisfactory - and, if they care about this that strongly, they will take better care, which will improve this issue considerably. In the end, its a combination of how good the materials and construction were originally, plus the owners care. No impact from the drivetrain here. Then there are the little things breaking everywhere. A light here (leds improve that), windshield wipers, maybe a broken cupholder. These are also not impacted by the drivetrain. In general though, a car breaking down frequently, or one that constantly gives the owner trouble when they are trying to go somewhere (failing to start properly, etc) is much more problematic. They will end up in the dump. This is where I was aiming my comment at.