What Fluids Do Electric Cars Need?

When it comes to maintaining cars, electric vehicles are very different from traditional combustion engine vehicles. With combustion engines, oil changes are an important part of maintenance. Changing the oil keeps an engine running properly and prevents it from seizing. EVs don’t have engines, so they don’t use oil. Even though there is no need for conventional oils in EVs, they still require several different fluids and lubrication.

How Does an Electric Powertrain Differ From a Gas Motor?

2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV by Gregory Varnum is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0

As the demand for EVs increases, you might be wondering how electric motors differ from gas engines. Conventional combustion engines have many moving parts within a motor. All these components need oil to keep them lubricated so that they don’t build up heat and friction.

A car powered by an electric motor has very few parts. There are no valves or pistons that require lubrication, so there is no need for oil. Instead of an engine, an EV uses magnets to attract and repel forces to rotate the drive shaft and convert electricity into torque.

With so few moving parts, vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Bolt and the Bolt Electric Utility Vehicle (EUV), require little maintenance and only need a few fluids to keep things moving. While you may be able to avoid an oil change with your EV, below is an overview of the types of fluid changes your car needs and answers to some common questions.

Coolant

Coolant is the fluid that keeps the battery and other high-voltage electric components from overheating. EVs have an electric pump that circulates the coolant fluid through the battery and other electronics. After it makes its way through these, the radiator releases heat from the coolant and sends it to the outside air to complete the cooling cycle. The coolant needed in EVs is very different from the coolant needed in a traditional engine. Before adding any coolant to your EV, make sure to check your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommendations.

The lithium-ion batteries in an EV also need coolant to keep them from overheating. A trained technician should complete this type of maintenance, and an EV can go many miles before it needs battery coolant replacement. For example, the Chevy Bolt can drive for 150,000 miles before it needs checking.

Transmission Fluid

While most EVs don’t have a typical transmission, they do have a direct-drive transmission with a single-ratio gearset. This component needs transmission fluid, and it’s important to maintain the fluid. Since it’s a specialized fluid, a trained technician should fill or replace them.

Brake Fluid

Just like gas-powered cars, EVs need brake fluid. The difference between the two is that EVs use brakes less frequently because of regenerative braking, so they can run longer before you need to have the brake fluid topped off or replaced. Regenerative braking is a system that turns a car’s kinetic energy back into electric energy and sends it to the battery. It’s a system that slows the car down instead of using the brake pads. This keeps wear and tear to a minimum, reducing the frequency of brake fluid replacement, but it doesn’t eliminate it.

An EV’s braking system will still use some brake fluid to operate the discs and pads, and over time, it can absorb water from the air and corrode the braking system. Even with EVs, you should have the brake fluid checked at regular intervals, but in most cases, with an EV, there are only a few reasons why the brake fluid would be low. These include:

• Normal brake lining wear: Brake linings wear down, but once a trained technician installs new linings, the fluid level should go back up.
• A leak in the hydraulic system: If the brake fluid is low, have the brake’s hydraulic system checked. If there is a leak, the brakes won’t work well.

Chevrolet recommends replacing the brake fluid in your electric Bolt or Bold EUV every five years.

Windshield Washer Fluid

Windshield washer fluid is the same in EVs and gas-powered vehicles. You should fill or top it off regularly depending on how often you use it. It might not seem like an important fluid, but it can mean the difference between having a good view of the road or having impaired vision during a snow or rain storm.

Lubricants

EVs have suspension systems similar to any other vehicle. The components in these systems need grease to keep them working properly. Other small moving parts, such as the wheel bearings, door locks, liftgate hinges, and the hood, also require lubrication. A multipurpose lubricant will do the job for most of these parts.

Do EVs Need Power Steering Fluid?

Most EVs, including the Chevy Bolt EUV, use an electric power steering system with a motor instead of a hydraulic pump. This eliminates the need for power steering fluid. A conventional power steering system uses an internal combustion engine, which needs to run continuously to operate the hydraulic pump that feeds the power steering fluid to the steering system. EVs use the car’s electrical system to control the steering.

Can EVs Overheat?

EVs can overheat, but for different reasons than conventional gas-powered vehicles do. If the cooling system for the high-voltage electronics in an EV isn’t working correctly to circulate coolant through the battery and other electronics, the battery can overheat.

Hybrid Vehicles

Hybrid cars use a combination of electric and combustion power. Since they have a combustion engine, it means they will need all the fluids and oils that a regular engine uses. In many cases, hybrid powertrains don’t need oil changes as often as a regular engine because the electric engine does much of the work when driving at low speeds and in stop-and-go traffic. It’s important to know that hybrids will still need oil changes at the frequency recommended by the manufacturer.

To learn more about EVs and the fluids needed to keep them maintained, stop by #1 Cochran Chevrolet. We have a large inventory of EVs in stock, ready for you to take out on a test drive. When it comes to your questions and concerns about EV’s you can trust your #1 Cochran team.