Maintenance details for electric trucks

Unlike traditional fuel vehicles, new energy trucks do not have engines, and most pure electric small micro trucks and light trucks are not equipped with gearboxes, but rather integrate electric motors with gearboxes. New energy trucks with matching gearboxes are mostly used on products such as electric heavy trucks or dumps. Therefore, in terms of maintenance, new energy light trucks are still mainly based on cleaning, checking, fastening, adjusting and lubrication, and basically will not involve the replacement of engine and transmission fluids.

When the vehicle is used full driving to 5000 kilometers or so, we have to start our first maintenance. The first maintenance of the electric car is mainly to check, replenish the grease and tighten the chassis screws. For example, the electrical piping of the three electric systems check, whether the joints and nuts are loose, the chassis front and rear axle grease supplement, replace the rear axle gear oil, and check the torque of the fasteners. The entire first maintenance will not take too long, and most of it is the basic maintenance of the vehicle. 

When the vehicle is driven 10,000 kilometers after the first maintenance, you can carry out basic maintenance on the vehicle, this basic maintenance is mainly to check the high-voltage accessories, chassis, and power battery maintenance, such as greasing, hitch cable inspection, four-in-one controller high and low voltage connectors, the front wheel front beam inspection, the power battery wiring harness, as well as the battery box bolts fastening degree and the gap between the brake pads and the brake drum. 

After driving for a distance of 20,000 kilometers, the maintenance of an electric vehicle focuses on inspection and adjustment. In addition to performing basic maintenance tasks, further checks are required for the air conditioning filter, high-pressure accessories, and chassis. This includes examining the wear of the rear leaf spring limit block rubber, replacing the gear oil in the electric power steering gear, and testing and replacing the steering joint bushing in the front axle assembly. This maintenance is generally an additional cost on top of basic maintenance, including the cost of changing the gear oil.

When the maintenance interval reaches 50,000 kilometers, a more thorough maintenance of the vehicle is required, focusing on cleaning, inspection, adjustment, and eliminating potential issues. Typically, the inspection will cover components such as brake pads, booster pumps, and coolant, with replacements made as needed.

Overall, the maintenance of electric vehicles is much simpler compared to traditional fuel-powered cars. There is no need to replace air filters, oil filters, or engine filters, and there's no need to bear the high cost of engine oil. This results in cost savings. However, it's important to remind all car owners that even though electric vehicles don't have an internal combustion engine, there are still many mechanical structures that require regular care to ensure outstanding performance and longevity of the electric truck.

We've talked generally about maintenance issues and maintenance intervals for electric trucks above, and then we'll talk about a few more important maintenance details. 

In order to ensure the braking power of the vehicle under full load, some electric light trucks are still using the same air brake brakes as those on fuel light trucks, but unlike fuel vehicles that need to store air through the pump on the engine, the air-brake version of the electric light trucks are individually designed and fitted with an electric pump, which is designed to provide the whole vehicle with the required air pressure support.

Like fuel vehicles, pure electric light trucks require antifreeze, whose main purpose is for cooling the motor. In addition, if the vehicle has a battery with liquid-cooling technology, then the coolant will also dissipate heat from the battery pack.

In daily use and inspection, we need to pay attention to the quantity and quality of coolant, and change and add it regularly according to the maintenance manual, which is an area that needs more attention.

At various important locations where lubrication is required, electric light trucks are essentially similar to traditional fuel-powered light trucks. This includes lubrication points such as those in the front axle assembly, rear axle assembly, various points on the driveshaft, and wheel end lubrication points.

In such sufficient lubrication conditions, to ensure smooth operation of the vehicle. In addition, in the fluid part, such as rear axle gear oil, electric power steering gear oil and other places, also need to regularly check and replace the fluid. 

In the battery pack part, it is difficult for us to judge whether the battery pack is faulty or broken by naked eyes, and we usually need to go to the service station to test it with professional instruments. We mainly check whether there is obvious bumping, deformation and damage on the outside of the battery pack, and check whether there is oil leakage in the lower part of the chassis.

Compared to conventional fuel vehicles, the maintenance of pure electric trucks is simpler, with more emphasis on the inspection of electrical circuits. However, as it is still a mechanical system, lubrication, fluids, and maintenance of mechanical components are essential. While ensuring the stability and reliability of the electric power system, proper attention to mechanical aspects is also necessary. This is to extend the overall lifespan and ensure optimal performance of electric vehicles.