8 Electric Car Service Questions & Answers

Looking to get certified maintenance and service for your Volkswagen EV? There’s no better auto center in the Ventura-area than Ventura Volkswagen! As electric vehicles become increasingly popular, there’s no shortage of customers asking for more service and parts information as it relates to these eco-friendly models. That’s why we’ve decided to break down the most common electric car service questions to ensure that your EV maintenance and ownership go smoothly in the long run. Learn more about whether electric cars have horsepower or a transmission with the experts below!

1. Do Electric Cars Last Longer than Gas Cars?

Electric vehicles can last longer than gas-powered cars before needing maintenance. You can still expect to take your EV to our service center for routine repairs, but since it doesn’t have all the moving components that are in a combustion engine, an EV will tend to have a more extended lifespan.

2. Do Electric Cars Have Heating & Air Conditioning?

Electric cars do have heating and air conditioning systems, powered by the electricity stored in the batteries. These heating and cooling systems are efficiently designed to maintain a high driving range for your Volkswagen EV.

3. Do Electric Cars Have Exhaust Systems?

There are no exhaust systems in electric cars, since electric cars don’t run on fossil fuels. Zero emissions is what makes EVs so environmentally friendly.

4. Do Electric Cars Have Catalytic Converters?

There are no catalytic converters in electric cars. Catalytic converts are utilized to remove the dirty particulate matter of internal combustion engines. Since EVs don’t use these kinds of engines, catalytic converters are unnecessary.

5. Do Electric Cars Have Alternators?

Electric and hybrid vehicles do not have alternators. Instead, these types of vehicles utilize a DC-to-DC converter, which recharges the 12-volt battery using power from the battery pack.

6. Do Electric Cars Have a Transmission?

Yes, electric vehicles do come with a transmission. However, internal combustion engines require several gears with a variety of gear ratios to distribute power, whereas electric motors output the same amount of torque, regardless of RPM within a specific range. The gear ratios within an EV are pre-calculated to produce power instantaneously, so Oxnard drivers don’t have to worry about switching gears.

7. Do Electric Cars Have Horsepower?

Yes, electric vehicles technically have the horsepower, although many automakers will more commonly refer to the power of their EVs at “KW”, kilowatts. There are “KW to hp” converters you can find online to calculate exactly how much horsepower an EV produces in kilowatts.

8. Do Electric Vehicles Need Oil?

Electric vehicles only run on electricity, so they don’t need oil changes. The purpose of oil is to lubricate the parts of a conventional gasoline-powered combustion engine. If there’s an electric powertrain present instead of an engine, there’s no reason to get an oil change. Keep in mind though that hybrid vehicles utilize both an electric motor and combustion engine and will require routine oil changes.

Get Exemplary Electric Car Service at Ventura Volkswagen!

If you have any further questions about electric car service, we encourage you to contact us at Ventura Volkswagen today! We’re more than happy to provide you with more EV information that wasn’t covered in our electric car service questions and answers above! If your electric vehicle is in need of maintenance, schedule a service appointment with our Ventura auto center now!