Breakdowns you won't see on an electric car

Electric car breakdowns do exist, but you can be sure this will never be one of them

We often talk about cars without stopping to consider how different they are from one another. It is no longer just a matter of distinguishing between diesel or petrol cars; it is now essential to understand how electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and “mild-hybrid” cars work, if we don’t want to be left behind.

That is why, given the doubts raised by the major players shaping the car industry’s future over the medium term, it is worth looking at the breakdowns that an electric car will never have.

Wrong fuel

As obvious as it may seem, you will never find among the breakdowns of an electric car one caused by refuelling with the wrong fuel. Quite simply, vehicles that run on electricity do not need diesel or petrol to power their motors.

But there are plenty of drivers of combustion-engined cars who, whether through absent-mindedness, lack of knowledge or heaven knows what other reason, have put the wrong nozzle into the pump and ended up filling the wrong fuel: draining the tank of a petrol car filled with diesel or, more seriously, seizing the injectors, the fuel pump or even the diesel engine into which petrol has been poured. Extremely costly breakdowns.

MOT failure due to exhaust emissions

Yes, harmful gases are one of the biggest problems with combustion engines. That is why electric cars, at first glance, seem to be the solution to the “bad fumes” that hang over cities. Those toxic gases emitted at levels beyond legal limits are one of the most common reasons for failing the MOT.

Not only will an electric car never break down because of harmful emissions, but these cars also do not have to pass this checkpoint of the new MOT. One less ordeal to worry about.

Exhaust system failure

From the moment it is burned, exhaust gases travel almost the full length of the car, since from the exhaust manifolds, through the catalytic converter and the tailpipe, the various sections making up the exhaust system are exposed. Extreme temperatures, oxidation, knocks or natural wear from environmental conditions cause minor or serious damage to these individual components.

Cracking one or several of the manifolds, or perforating the different sections of the exhaust pipe, would cause leaks, sometimes even allowing gases into the cabin.

If detected, these would not only mean an MOT failure, but also gases being expelled incorrectly into the surroundings or, as we noted, potentially being breathed inside the car, with the danger that this entails.

Not just to avoid the “bad fumes” or to be able to display the DGT Zero emissions label, but because no workshop will be called in for a breakdown of an electric car due to a broken or worn exhaust.

Faulty EGR valve or particulate filter

The EGR valve is an anti-pollution device whose purpose is to reduce the impact of nitrogen oxides by feeding them back into the lubrication circuit of a combustion-engined car. To further reduce emissions, particulate filters are also used; they do not get along well with certain types of driving, as they require the engine to reach a certain temperature in order to regenerate.

These devices can fail due to lack of maintenance or simply because they become damaged, causing erratic engine behaviour (jerking, loss of power, high consumption, excessive smoke production…). In diesel cars, especially if they are used for long periods in town and rarely taken on the open road, they cause many problems, due to the build-up of soot produced during combustion.

Electric cars have no exhaust gas decontamination systems, so faults with the EGR or the particulate filter will never give you headaches.

Clutch kit replacement

Traditional cars need different gears so the engine can turn within a range of revs, with the clutch managing the gear changes. Something similar happens when engaging reverse: by their nature, combustion engines can only turn in one direction, so the clutch must be used to go backwards.

Electric cars do not have a gearbox with different gears. Thanks to their high rotational capacity, reaching around 12,000 rpm, electricity delivers power that flows continuously from the moment the motor is switched on until the accelerator is pressed fully down, with no interruptions, avoiding the costly replacement that a breakdown would bring in an electric car.

It is true that some gearbox manufacturers have proposed gearboxes for electric cars with two or four speeds… but in any case these are proposals that have not yet been generalised in production models. The equivalent in combustion-engined cars would be models with automatic transmission.

Spark plug or glow plug replacement

Petrol engines need a trigger to ignite the fuel. Spark plugs produce the electric spark that allows both the initial start and the continuous burning of the fuel. One or several damaged or faulty spark plugs will, at best, prevent correct petrol consumption and, in the worst case, stop the engine from running.

On the other hand, diesel cars need special plugs that provide ideal temperatures in the combustion chambers before and after the engine starts; these are known as glow plugs. These components should be replaced at around 120,000 km but, if they wear out or fail, they would prevent the car from starting.

As they have no fossil fuel to burn, electric car maintenance will never include a section for replacing spark plugs or glow plugs.

Timing belt

Another “classic” to consider when choosing a combustion-engined car is whether its timing is driven by a chain (usually maintenance-free) or a belt. In the latter case, the replacement or service intervals set by the manufacturer must be respected. This factor is often overlooked when buying a car, yet it is not a minor job: replacing the timing belt can cost between 1,000 and over 2,000 euros, depending on the vehicle.

That is one of the reasons many drivers stretch the intervals… until what happens happens. And a broken timing belt can cause one of the most expensive breakdowns in a combustion engine. Electric motors “skip” belts altogether, since there is no timing system to speak of.