We hear daily that climate change is happening and that our environment is under real threat. Electric Vehicles are not a new concept and have been around for a long time, but it seems that the major players in the car manufacturing industry are now not just dipping their toes into the water but going full steam ahead in creating and releasing their own models of electric cars.
We take a closer look at the electric car revolution and how you can maintain your electric vehicle.
THE ELECTRIC CAR REVOLUTION
As electric cars drop in price and increase their battery range, expect to see many more on UK roads very soon. The government plans to ban sales of all diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040, pushing more drivers towards buying electric vehicles.
Huge manufacturers such as BMW, VW and Ford have made pledges to become a lot greener in the coming years with billion-pound investments in the production of new models. With this investment, expect to see longer lasting battery ranges, more torque and better handling which will appeal to the wider public. There are not many supermarkets or multi storey car parks you can visit nowadays without seeing an electric charge point.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN NOTTINGHAM
In our own city of Nottingham – we are leading the way with the use of electric vehicles after being named one of the UK’s first Go Ultra Low Cities. £6.1m funding was awarded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles which has introduced a range of innovative projects to support the uptake in Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs).
Nottingham City Council are undertaking a range of actions using funding from the Office for Low Emissions such as:
Installing over 350 EV charging points to support the switch over to EV’s and building the UK’s first bus lane that also allows ULEVs, so greener drivers can travel more efficiently.
HOW OFTEN DOES MY ELECTRIC VEHICLE NEED SERVICING AND WHAT IS DONE?
A question we have been getting asked a lot recently is how it works with servicing and maintenance of an electric vehicle. What do you as an owner have to do to ensure your shiny new electric car keeps running to the best of its ability?
Although there are no oil changes or engine related checks to perform, your electric vehicle still needs regular servicing to perform to the best of its ability.
Whilst petrol and diesel vehicles require numerous servicing parts (spark plugs, oil filters and starter motors to name a few), pure electric vehicles only have three main components – the electric motor, on-board charger and the inverter.
Due to the lack of parts needed, most EV services are much more cost effective with servicing costs. Research by automotive data experts cap hpi revealed that service and maintenance costs for an electric car are on average 23% less but this of course depends on the model and how you drive it.
Servicing an electric vehicle is not something all garages are equipped to deal with. Lindleys Autocentres have invested heavily over the last 4 years in staff and equipment to make sure we are at the forefront of electric vehicle servicing in Nottingham.
Over 50% of our technicians are now fully trained to service and maintain all makes and models of electric vehicles.
Wondering about the battery itself? Our EV battery health check at Colwick reads its true state of health with OE diagnostic equipment and gives you a written report for £70.
