ELECTRIC cars are more common on UK roads, due to car companies becoming greener and trying to protect the environment.
Motorists now need to learn how to maintain an electric car and how it differs from one with a combustion engine.
Can you push an electric car?
Like any vehicle, electric cars can break down or run out of steam.
In that situation, you can push an electric car, but you must make sure that you put it into neutral first.
In neutral the motor becomes isolated from the control system .
Pushing an electric car when not in neutral can damage the electric motor.
However, not every electric vehicle has a neutral mode.
In this instance, it would be best to wait for a tow truck or a repair man.
Generally, electric cars are generally heavier than conventional cars due to their battery packs, which can make them more difficult to push.
Remember that some electric cars automatically engage the electric parking brake when the car is switched off, you need to switch this off before the car can be moved.
Before it gets to a stage of breaking down or running out of charge, it’s important to notice when an electric vehicle battery approaches 0%.
This varies depending on the manufacturer, but there are some general patterns you can expect as the battery level drops.
Typically, electric vehicles provide ample warning as the charge gets low.
Most EVs will start alerting you when the battery drops to around 20%, with warnings becoming more urgent as the charge decreases.
Depending on the manufacturer, the battery indicator might change colour, and the car’s navigation system (if equipped) may suggest nearby charging stations.
Additional signs often appear, encouraging you to find a place to charge and showing how much range remains.
If you continue driving, eventually the battery indicator will display 0%.
However, this doesn’t mean the battery is entirely drained.
Similar to how a petrol gauge indicates “empty” before the fuel tank is completely dry, EVs often show zero charge while still holding a small reserve.
It’s important not to rely too heavily on this reserve, as its range can vary.
On a mild day and flat terrain, you might get a few extra miles before the battery fully depletes.
When the battery is critically low, a turtle icon typically appears on the dashboard, signalling that the vehicle is in a power-saving mode, attempting to stretch the last bit of charge as far as possible.
So it’s important to know if you can push an electric car at that point.
Can you tow an electric car?
For similar reasons, an electric car can be towed, but care must be taken when doing so.
Electric cars must not be given a flat tow – this means they should not be towed behind another vehicle while on four wheels.
Doing this will cause extensive damage to the motor, as electric cars don’t have transmissions.
The AA has a special towing ramp which allows vehicles to be towed on two wheels.
This can be used on electric cars as the motor will not be engaged.
Another way is towing on a flatbed truck or on a flatbed trailer.
By having all four wheels off the ground, the driver will not need to worry about any potential damage to the motor.
This is because the motor isn’t engaged at all, as the wheels aren’t moving.
Can you remap an electric car?
Remapping is where a new software programme is put into the engine control unit (ECU).
This is often done to improve performance and economy.
The software overrides the original factory settings implemented by the manufacturer.
It is possible to tune electric cars, in order to improve performance.
This is a new field though, and it is unknown how reliability will be affected.
