Do Electric Cars Use Oil?

Do electric cars need oil? If you’ve considered making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV), then you’ve probably wondered about what kind of maintenance goes into keeping an electric vehicle running is best in the Onalaska roads. You won’t have to worry about getting an electric car oil change since electric vehicles don’t need oil. Because they don’t have a combustion engine that relies on gasoline fuel, no motor oil is needed. That being said, EVs do require coolant, brake fluid, and transmission fluid.

Learn about what goes into maintaining an electric vehicle with the service team at Volkswagen La Crosse. Then, visit our service center to learn more about EV maintenance or to keep your current EV running like a top.

Necessary Electric Vehicle Fluids

Since you won’t need an electric car oil change, you don’t ever have to worry about using motor oil on your EV. However, we mentioned earlier that EVs still require transmission fluid, brake fluid, and coolant among other things to run properly on your Winona commute. Here’s what maintaining those fluids in your EV looks like:

• Brake Fluid: EVs obviously still have brakes, so you’ll need to make sure that your EV has the proper amount of brake fluid in order to come to a complete stop on the roads.
• Transmission fluid: Transmission fluid allows the gears in your vehicle to move efficiently, and it keeps them well preserved.
• Coolant: There’s no combustion engine in EVs, but you’ll still want to put coolant in your vehicle to keep your battery, motor, and other systems from overheating.
• The coolant in your radiator keeps your battery and vehicle systems from overheating.

Consult your owner’s manual for specific numbers on when you should replace the above-mentioned fluids, or reach out to the team here at Volkswagen La Crosse. While EVs don’t use oil, it’s still important to know how often to change your oil if you drive a gasoline-powered vehicle or even a hybrid.

Common Electric Vehicle Parts

Besides making sure that your EV has the proper fluids, you’ll also need to keep an eye on the different mechanical components of your electric vehicle. The lack of a combustion engine inside an EV eliminates the need for motor oil and gasoline fuel altogether, which is one of the biggest advantages electric vehicles offer.

EVs use an electric motor that converts an electrical current from the battery into energy. Torque is created with magnets along the motor, and these magnets create a magnetic field around the motor to churn it. However, they still function similarly to gasoline-powered vehicles in many other ways. Common parts in electric vehicles that are crucial to their overall performance include the following:

• Charging ports: These ports are external chargers that you can use to charge your EV’s battery.
• Traction motors: Your wheels are turned by these motors.
• Onboard charger: This charger converts the external charge from a charging port into DC power.
• DC-DC converter: This part converts high-voltage direct current (DC) power from the battery into low-voltage DC power that’s responsible for moving the vehicle.
• Battery: Your EV’s battery stores the electricity responsible for powering the motors as you drive.
• Thermal system: The thermal system prevents your motors and other electrical parts from overheating.

So, do electric cars use oil? They don’t use oil, but there are still other kinds of maintenance required to keep them in their best condition and to perform optimally on the Tomah roads. Schedule service with our team at Volkswagen La Crosse to keep up with your EV’s service schedule.

Keep Your EV Running Like New in Onalaska

Do electric vehicles need oil? Using oil won’t do anything to enhance the performance of your EV, and it may even damage your EV to put oil inside it. For more helpful service and parts tips, visit Volkswagen La Crosse online or in person here at Volkswagen La Crosse.