EV & Hybrid Network FAQs

Explore our comprehensive FAQs to stay informed about crucial aspects of maintaining your EV or Hybrid vehicle with an EV & Hybrid Workshop in Australia. Our resource simplifies complex topics, offering clear answers on everything from battery health to servicing requirements. Keep your EV or Hybrid in top shape with insights from our extensive FAQ section.

Our FAQs

Q: What are the most important things for me to know to maintain my EV or Hybrid?

A: Regular inspections, as mentioned under the ‘Servicing’ tab, are one of the least understood aspects of servicing an EV or Hybrid. If not attended to, expensive repairs can be the result. Your EV or Hybrid is a very high-tech combination of computer-based and high-voltage technologies and should only ever be serviced by a knowledgeable certified technician with the correct equipment.

Q: What does battery State Of Charge (SOC) mean and how do I have that monitored?

A: SOC is a reading which describes your vehicle battery’s level of ‘stored’ charge. It will be checked and reported to you – and explained by your Certified Workshop – at each service.

Q: What does battery State Of Health ( SOH ) mean and how do I have that monitored?

A: SOH is a percentage reading of the health of the battery in respect to its 100 per cent original state. Your Certified Workshop will produce this report and discuss it with you at each regular service.

Q: How dangerous is the high-voltage system in my EV or Hybrid?

A: The level of danger is minimal during everyday use unless the high-voltage cables become damaged, which can occur due to physical vehicle movements and impacts. This is why you are protected when you have your EV or Hybrid regularly serviced by a Certified Workshop, with checking of these critical cables being part of the rigid inspection process. Of course, any manipulation of these cables is highly dangerous. It requires special protective equipment and is carried out via exact procedures to ensure the safety of both the technician and the vehicle’s battery pack.

Q: Can my Battery Pack be repaired?

A: Battery packs are typically made up of a series of battery cells which rely on each other. Replacing a cell requires the replacement cell to be a ‘match’ for the average condition of the existing cells. There is good news in this area as your Certified Workshop, due to the Network, has the technology expertise to identify a faulty cell or cells. It also has access to leading Australian providers of battery-pack replacement cells. The process is all about accurate diagnostics and defining if a cell can be replaced to provide a solution or if a remanufactured battery pack or new battery pack is the best option for your personal circumstances.

Q: What is Thermal Management in my EV/Hybrid and does it require maintenance?

A: There are a variety of thermal-management systems used by various manufacturers. Some use a radiator system which has fluid running through pipes positioned close to the battery pack’s prime heat source – this method is used to maintain the battery-pack temperature. Other systems use a combined process involving the vehicle’s air-conditioning system to cleverly use the cooling cycle to move cold fluid though the heat-exchange pipes around the battery pack. Whichever system your EV or Hybrid uses, your Certified Workshop has access to the required information to professionally monitor these aspects and/or carry out necessary repairs.

Q: Does my Electric Motor need servicing or periodical inspections?

A: Most electric motors are very robust and often made to last without maintenance for many years. However, as the EV and Hybrid markets explode and price competition comes into play, we are finding that manufacturing methods are increasingly varied. As this situation evolves, the EV & Hybrid Network will continue to learn from the marketplace to be up to date on any preventive-maintenance inspections that might be required to pre-empt possible expensive repairs.

Q: Does my EV or Hybrid require specific checks and maintenance which are unique to this type of vehicle?

A: Other than those mentioned under the ‘Servicing’ tab, checks that only apply to an EV or Hybrid are primarily related to the high-voltage and overall electrification aspects of the systems.

Q: Can anyone service my EV or Hybrid vehicle?

A: Unfortunately, we currently do not have a comprehensive legislated standard in Australia, so in theory many workshops can tinker with these high-tech and high-voltage vehicles. However, there are known processes and known education models to ensure customers’ vehicles are being safely worked on (both for the technician and the battery pack). The EV & Hybrid Network of Certified Workshops has been vetted to ensure each workshop has the appropriate credentials, and access to a broad range of support.

Q: How often should my EV or Hybrid be serviced?

A: That depends on how it is being used. However, the typical period between services and inspections is 12 months. The best process is to visit your Certified Workshop so a use-based service-and-Inspection program can be set up for you. The objective is, of course, not to over-service the vehicle but to ensure that under-servicing does not occur as this is when expensive or inconvenience breakdowns happen. Remember, regular preventative-maintenance servicing is usually a much more cost-effective way to maintain any vehicle, than not doing so and potentially suffering the inconvenience of expensive ‘preventable’ repairs.