Combustion Engine vs Battery-Powered Motor

Internal combustion engines are one of the marvels of our time. They do, however, have a lot of moving parts. This means that they will inevitably encounter problems as these parts are damaged over time. Most, if not all, drivers have experience with random parts cracking, breaking, or simply needing to be replaced. This still happens with electric vehicles, of course, but far less often than with conventional ones.

In place of combustion engines, electric vehicles just have a battery and a motor, with electronics to make it all run. These parts still move, but with less intensity than traditional engines. As such, they wear down much more slowly. They also have fewer fluids, as they don't require oil, and some models don't have liquid coolants either.

Batteries do eventually wear out. Anyone with a cell phone knows that as time goes by it holds less and less of a charge. In electric vehicles, however, there is a very high threshold for this kind of burnout. Many manufacturers offer great warranties on this point. Ford, for example, covers batteries for the first 100,000 miles or eight years.

Regenerative Braking

In a traditional car, brake pads are used to apply pressure and slow down a vehicle. This is a high-intensity process. As such, drivers must frequently replace brake pads. This process creates a great deal of friction and heat. Normally this energy is just lost. Vehicles with batteries, however, can capture some of this energy.

The motor that is attached to the battery normally runs forward, supplying power to the wheels of the car. When one takes their foot off the brake, however, the motor runs backwards and acts as a generator, helping to fill up the car's battery. This is called regenerative braking. It decreases the stress faced by the brake pads, and helps the vehicle to maintain a charge. As such, it contributes to the lower maintenance cost of electric vehicles.