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I'm not trying to take sides, but electric cars seem vastly simpler from a mechanical perspective. I'm sure they have complicated electronics, but most modern

I'm not trying to take sides, but electric cars seem vastly simpler from a mechanical perspective. I'm sure they have complicated electronics, but most modern cars do as well and those aren't components people typically work on. Just consider the electric vehicle has no transmission, no drive train, no oil. It doesn't have most of what cars have under the hood.

toomuchtodo 5y ago
EVs have less than 20 moving parts in their drivetrain. Scheduled maintenance is brake fluid every few years (as it absorbs moisture over time), cabin air filter every 2-3 years, and tire rotations (~7k miles) and replacements (as needed). Brake pads and rotors under normal duty cycles should last the life of the vehicle due to aggressive regenerative braking (at least that's what Tesla is seeing).
drewzero1 5y ago
Mechanically simpler, but (at least in Tesla's case) can be harder to get replacement parts for. Obviously their repair network isn't going to be as complete as a more established brand, but it doesn't really sound like they're prioritizing repairability at all.
- nicoburns 5y ago
  That's true, but it seems to be an issue with Tesla as a company rather than electric vehicles as a product.
  - drewzero1 5y ago
    Fair point. Unfortunately it's a trend I've already seen over the last decade with battery-operated power tools, and they-re a simplified and scaled-down version of electric car drivetrains. Pretty much all modern brushless power tools, while mechanically simpler than their brushed cousins, require a full motor and control module replacement when something as simple as the switch fails. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that electric propulsion is the future for efficient transport and that gas isn't a long-term solution going forward. It just seems to me the marketing and hype have gotten ahead of the current offerings, and I worry the 'scrap it and get a new one' approach employed often by tech companies will end up being applied to cars as well.
- theshrike79 5y ago
  It's hard to get replacement parts for Teslas because every single part they make is put into a new car and sold. There is no extra capacity producing spare parts to sit on shelves.
partiallypro 5y ago
It's possible that they do last longer, but the track record is not there yet. There are a lot of Toyota vehicles with over 1M miles, you can look up high mileage Toyotas for sale. That does not yet exist with Teslas. I have heard (not first hand) of Tesla having some quality problems, so immediately jumping to the conclusion that they are future proof seems like a mistake.
jjav 5y ago
> but electric cars seem vastly simpler from a mechanical perspective. The electric motor is simpler than an ICE, yes. OTOH, a modern (and by modern I mean anything in the last ~30 years) ICE engine is supremely reliable, so it's a wash. Most repair time isn't from having to fix the engine or motor anyway, it's the whole rest of the car. We have a a Fiat 500e (EV) now sitting it's fourth week (not continuous) at the dealer to get window regulator problems fixed. Those types of problems have nothing to do with whether the car was an EV model or the ICE model.

toomuchtodo 5y ago

EVs have less than 20 moving parts in their drivetrain. Scheduled maintenance is brake fluid every few years (as it absorbs moisture over time), cabin air filter every 2-3 years, and tire rotations (~7k miles) and replacements (as needed). Brake pads and rotors under normal duty cycles should last the life of the vehicle due to aggressive regenerative braking (at least that's what Tesla is seeing).

drewzero1 5y ago

Mechanically simpler, but (at least in Tesla's case) can be harder to get replacement parts for. Obviously their repair network isn't going to be as complete as a more established brand, but it doesn't really sound like they're prioritizing repairability at all.

nicoburns 5y ago
That's true, but it seems to be an issue with Tesla as a company rather than electric vehicles as a product.
- drewzero1 5y ago
  Fair point. Unfortunately it's a trend I've already seen over the last decade with battery-operated power tools, and they-re a simplified and scaled-down version of electric car drivetrains. Pretty much all modern brushless power tools, while mechanically simpler than their brushed cousins, require a full motor and control module replacement when something as simple as the switch fails. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that electric propulsion is the future for efficient transport and that gas isn't a long-term solution going forward. It just seems to me the marketing and hype have gotten ahead of the current offerings, and I worry the 'scrap it and get a new one' approach employed often by tech companies will end up being applied to cars as well.
theshrike79 5y ago
It's hard to get replacement parts for Teslas because every single part they make is put into a new car and sold. There is no extra capacity producing spare parts to sit on shelves.

partiallypro 5y ago

It's possible that they do last longer, but the track record is not there yet. There are a lot of Toyota vehicles with over 1M miles, you can look up high mileage Toyotas for sale. That does not yet exist with Teslas. I have heard (not first hand) of Tesla having some quality problems, so immediately jumping to the conclusion that they are future proof seems like a mistake.

jjav 5y ago

> but electric cars seem vastly simpler from a mechanical perspective. The electric motor is simpler than an ICE, yes. OTOH, a modern (and by modern I mean anything in the last ~30 years) ICE engine is supremely reliable, so it's a wash. Most repair time isn't from having to fix the engine or motor anyway, it's the whole rest of the car. We have a a Fiat 500e (EV) now sitting it's fourth week (not continuous) at the dealer to get window regulator problems fixed. Those types of problems have nothing to do with whether the car was an EV model or the ICE model.