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I was spending about $130 a month on gas for the Fit. It didn’t break down much but at 130,000 it needed both front axle bearings replaced. And of course it nee
by GlenTheMachine 7y ago
I was spending about $130 a month on gas for the Fit. It didn’t break down much but at 130,000 it needed both front axle bearings replaced. And of course it needed belts, oil changes every 10,000 miles, and brake pads and rotors every 30,000 miles or so.
The Leaf costs me $30 a month in electrons.
- gambiting 7y agoI mean, not that you're wrong or anything but the leaf also needs annual service which isn't any cheaper than that for a petrol vehicle even though there's no oil change to be done, and it will eventually need new brake pads and rotors too. Same with suspension bits, those things will deteriorate exactly the same as they would on an ICE vehicle.
- tialaramex 7y agoBrake pads are physically worn by braking. But the EV has an electric motor, which is the same thing as a generator. I don't mean they're pretty similar, they're the _same thing_ because of how electricity works‡. So this means (albeit with some extra circuitry) the EV can just run everything backwards and turn your movement back into electricity to brake the vehicle. It does still need brakes, but it uses them much less than an ICE vehicle. ‡ And likewise an electric pump and a turbine are the same thing in opposite directions. At Dinorwig, for example, the pumped storage facility, when water flows down it drives a bunch of huge turbines to make electricity for peak usage and when they have spare electricity to store those same machines function as pumps to move the water back up to the top lake.
- RickJWagner 7y agoYes, true. Prius has a well-earned reputation for never needing brake pads. Regeneration takes the brunt of every stop, the physical brakes are just the final part. I bought a used Prius for my son, it's been a great vehicle.