Electric vehicles have many upsides. In addition to zero-emissions mobility and charging costs that undercut the price of petrol, another benefit is cheaper maintenance. We picked the BMW i3 as a case study for this brief overview.

The i3 is one of the oldest electric vehicles on the market, launched at a price of R525,000 in 2015. Subsequently, there have been model updates and price increases. The vehicle is approaching the seven-year mark.

Servicing an EV is different because it typically has fewer than 20 moving parts, vs about 2,000 in an internal combustion engine. This alone cuts down costs dramatically when it comes to parts.

The i3 comes with a five-year or 100,000km maintenance plan, which can be extended for two additional years. The electric motor has a 1,000,000km (yes, a million!) warranty.   The i3’s on-board system notifies the driver of any issues in real time but routine checks during a service cover brake fluid, brakes, microfilter, the suspension and electrical components.

Continue reading here: https://www.timeslive.co.za/motoring/features/2022-05-18-are-evs-less-expensive-to-maintain-than-their-ice-rivals/