Short Distance Driving

[Asia93]

I know very short distance driving is hard on gasoline engine cars. Is it hard on electric cars too? I was reading the owners manual last night and noticed that there was a shorter service interval if you were driving mainly short distances.

 

[GerryAZ]

One of the advantages of an electric vehicle is no extra wear/tear from start/stop and short trip driving (other than brakes in heavy stop and go). I suspect the maintenance chart in the manual is still based on gasoline-powered vehicles. One of the reasons I bought my first Leaf (and replaced it as soon as I could) was to reduce wear and tear on my other vehicles from driving around town. I was surprised to see that the maintenance requirements in the manual for the 2015 were still not reflective of the benefits of electric power.

Gerry

 

[epirali]

One of the advantages of an electric vehicle is no extra wear/tear from start/stop and short trip driving (other than brakes in heavy stop and go). I suspect the maintenance chart in the manual is still based on gasoline-powered vehicles. One of the reasons I bought my first Leaf (and replaced it as soon as I could) was to reduce wear and tear on my other vehicles from driving around town. I was surprised to see that the maintenance requirements in the manual for the 2015 were still not reflective of the benefits of electric power.

Gerry

It must be a remnant of other manuals. Only things I know of that impact short driving in ICE vehicles is that not bringing the engine to operating temperature repetitively causes long term longevity issues. And only other stressor is that the battery is not recharged from the starter motor and may be stressed more. Neither of these obviously matter on a BEV.

Can anyone think of ANYTHING in a BEV that remotely cares? If anything the electric motor and the battery probably are better off and generally operate better when cool.

 

[Asia93]

Thanks for the replies. I was under the impression as well that lots of short trips in an EV was fine. You also don't have the condensation issue in the exhaust system that you do in an ICE.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The drivetrain bearings in an EV will likely wear a little faster from lots of short trips - they are designed to work best when warm. It would take a long time for such wear to be measurable, though.

 

[RonDawg]

Most of the shorter service intervals specified in the Leaf manual for "severe" service don't apply for the same reasons as for an ICEV, but were basically copy-and-paste from other Nissan vehicles. About the only one that would apply is if you drive frequently through standing water (such as a shallow stream crossing), or on rough/gravel roads. You will want to do more frequent inspections in such conditions.

 

[Reddy]

Four years tomorrow, mostly all short range, and essentially NO maintenance. I'd guess my median trip length is around 4 miles! I replaced the tires last month (to be expected) because in-town short trips with all the turning really chews up the tires. I filled the windshield washer fluid a couple of times. Hmmm, I can't think of anything else. I probably should change the air filter, but I've never done it on any other vehicle, so why start now?

 

[aarond12]

Not to mention not having to warm up the catalytic converter to make it effective. Start-up emissions on gas cars is bad. By using your electric car for short trips, you're helping reduce pollution immensely.