Finding a mechanic who actually understands high-voltage systems is your first hurdle. Most shop technicians spend their careers turning wrenches on internal combustion engines. Open the hood of a Tesla or a Nissan LEAF, and the silence will probably make them nervous. There is no engine block. There are no valves. There are no spark plugs. For now, you are likely tethered to the dealership for routine checks.
Depends on the warranty. If you have comprehensive coverage, the dealer visit is free or cheap. If not, you might pay more upfront than you would at a local garage. But here is the twist. Even when you are out of warranty, the dealer has very little to charge you for. The electric motor is brutally simple.
The Simplicity of the Electric Motor
An internal combustion engine has hundreds of moving parts. Pistons. Crankshafts. Camshafts. Fuel injectors. Oil pumps. They all rub against each other. They all wear out. The electric motor has perhaps six moving parts. Maybe a few bearings. A rotor. A stator. That is it.
There is barely anything in there to break. When something does fail, it is usually a straightforward replacement. By the time your five-year warranty expires, local independent shops will have caught up. They will know how to diagnose an inverter. They will know how to handle the DC-DC converter. Labor costs will drop.
Estimates suggest routine maintenance for an EV costs about one-third of what you pay for a gasoline vehicle. You change the oil every 5,000 miles in a gas car. You don’t change oil in an EV. You rotate tires. You check brake fluid. You replace wiper blades. The motor requires trivial maintenance. The bottom line is clear: electric cars require considerably less maintenance than gas-driven cars.
That is, until the battery begins to wear out.
The Battery Degradation Problem
Most of the weight, volume, and cost under the floorboard is the battery pack. It is an array of lithium-ion cells. It is heavy. It is complex. It is the heart of the car.
It does not need daily care. You do not top it off. You do not flush it. But just like the battery in your laptop or your phone, it degrades. It loses its ability to hold a charge. The degradation starts the day you drive off the lot. It is slow. So slow you will not notice it month to month. It does not die suddenly. It fades.
How long does it last? Most estimates say a typical lithium-ion pack will handle more than 100,000 miles (160,934 kilometers) while still providing a decent driving range. You might drive 150,000 miles. The range might drop from 150 miles to 90 miles. You might decide that charging every three days is too much hassle. You might decide to replace the pack.
Prepare to faint when you see the bill.
The Cost of Replacement
A replacement battery pack for a Nissan LEAF is estimated to cost around $15,000. That is a massive number. Nissan might even sell that pack at a loss initially to keep the sticker price of the car low. It is a subsidy. A marketing tool. A way to stimulate sales.
The U.S. Department of Energy set a goal to bring down battery costs by 70 percent by 2014. The Wall Street Journal reports that many experts doubt this target was ever realistically met. The chemistry is expensive. The manufacturing is complex. The safety requirements are strict.
You might get some trade-in value. The cells can be repurposed. Someone with a minimal driving schedule might buy a used pack with reduced range for a stationary storage project or a light electric vehicle. The secondary market exists. It is small, but it exists.
Hopefully, the price of a new pack will drop below $15,000 by the time you actually need it. Chemistry improves. Supply chains optimize.
Or you might just buy a new car.
If you own a $100,000 Tesla Roadster, a $15,000 battery replacement might seem like a bargain. It’s a fraction of the original price. But for the average buyer? It is a terrifying possibility. A looming financial cliff.
The motor will outlast you. The motor will likely outlast the car’s useful life as a primary transport. The battery is the weak link. It is the component that defines the economic lifespan of the vehicle. You drive until the tires wear out. You drive until the body rusts. But you drive until the range drops below your threshold. And then you face the cost.
Or you walk away.
