The Proper Way To Look After Your Electric Car
Electric cars were made as an alternative way to save the planet, but still be able to get around independently without having to solely rely on the service of public transport. They still allow you to have that freedom you see, of going off wherever you want to and planning your own route, but in turn not releasing all of those terrible toxins into the air that cause so much harm and damage to the world that we live in.
As you may have already guessed though, they really are electric. Thus meaning they are propelled by one or more electric motors, just like a toy car that you may have had when you were a child. They typically run off the energy that is stored in the rechargeable batteries. – It’s a rather strange thought if you aren’t used to the idea, because it doesn’t sound like a real thing that people use – but they do. And in fact it’s not just about the benefits of saving the planet either – it can also save you a whole lot of money too.
Let’s break it down a little more.
Most of the standard electric cars out there can run for up to 150 miles before the battery dies. But if you have a little more money to spend, then the high-end cars can go for around 334 miles before the battery runs flat. Now bear in mind with this, a fuel powered car can usually ride for 400 – 500 miles before you need to think about getting to a gas station. Although this may sound a far lot more than a high-end electric car, you need to remember that this is running on a mere battery that doesn’t cause any harm to the environment. So weigh out the benefits of this for a moment. There really isn’t any more hassle of pulling into a gas station to refuel, or to recharge – either way, it may have to be done between your time on the road, giving you chance for a coffee and a packet of crisps.
When looking at the upfront costs of buying yourself an electric car, it will definitely look a lot more expensive than an ordinary one, and that is simply for the fact that it isn’t ordinary. But there are now deals that certain companies are offering where they allow you to lease a battery, paying for it monthly, as a pose to outright, essentially knocking off a good $5000. Once you get past the initial fee though, electric cars are hands down cheaper than a fuel powered car, and that’s because you aren’t having to constantly fill up your tank and follow the steady rise of cost in terms of how much the oil industry is making. For example, if you’re travelling 100 miles, a normal car would be around 15 bucks, while an electric would be around 3.
So now you know the general ins and outs, it boils down to looking after your electric car the right way. – There’s no big magic trick that allows your car to stay perfect forever, most of the time it’s just common sense and keeping your standards up. There isn’t that much of a difference compared to a fuel powered car, other than the fact it is run by a battery, so you don’t need to worry about learning a whole new dictionary of techniques. It’s all rather simple.
Here’s what you need to know.
Look after your tyres
You should always look after your tyres because they’re the thing that’s holding you up and rolling you around, but especially in terms of owning an electric car, as they can be a lot heavier than normal because they’re having to carry around the batteries which tend to weigh an awful lot. While there’s nothing you can do about the weight, you can certainly be conscious of other things that will wear down your tyres. This includes hard acceleration, or pushing unnecessarily hard into a turn when there’s no need to. Depending on the type of car you have, there will be guidelines set out by the vehicle’s manufacturer too, so it’s always worth reading the manual.
Protect the battery
There is the obvious rule of charging your car’s batteries when they need to be charged, and trying to stay on top of this so you never find yourself stuck in a situation with no battery while out on a journey. Having said that, overcharging is another way to ruin your battery, so although you don’t want to wait until it’s totally dead to recharge – don’t overdo it either. But other things come into play too, like topping up the coolant levels from time to time if your car has a thermal management system. You also need to regularly check the fluids in your car and top them up if and when needed. The only other fluids that exist in an electric car is the brake fluid, and the windscreen washer fluid.
Get it looked at
This is something that you do for all cars, no matter what type of vehicle they are of how they’re run. It’s essential that you make sure your car is getting looked at once in a while to ensure that everything is running how it should, and that there are no dangers that have gone unnoticed that could potentially cause harm to you and your safety. Think of it as a check up at the doctors. Sometimes you’re required to go, even if nothing actually feels wrong, just to be on the safe side. So you want to make sure that your vehicle is in tip-top condition too so it has more chance of lasting longer. If you’re not sure where to find an electric car electrician, have a look online.
So as you can see, the best overall way to look after your electric car, is to look after your tyres and battery properly. – You do this, and you should be getting a decent life out of your vehicle with no issues or problems coming into play.