Brake Maintenance and Repair
Do the Brakes on an Electric Vehicle Wear Out?
Good news! Electric vehicle brakes last longer than those of combustion engine vehicles. Thanks to regenerative braking, less friction braking is required. Garages often find electric or hybrid vehicles with the same set of brakes after 100,000 km.
But beware: brake wear also depends on your driving style. As your electric vehicle is heavier than a conventional one, a sporty or more aggressive driving style will put added wear and tear on the friction brakes.
What is Regenerative Braking?
Regenerative braking is an essential feature of hybrid and electric vehicles. By switching electric motors to generation mode, the vehicle converts momentum into electrical energy to slow the vehicle and recharge the battery, increasing range and reducing fuel consumption.
Regenerative braking functions can generally be adjusted by the user to increase or reduce regenerative braking power, or enable “one-pedal driving” modes where the vehicle will brake automatically as the accelerator is released.
It maximizes energy efficiency and braking distance. Unlike conventional vehicles that rely solely on friction braking systems, regenerative braking enables vehicles to recover and store some of the energy that would otherwise be lost during deceleration or braking.
What Are the Brake Maintenance Requirements for a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle?
As hybrid and electric vehicles primarily rely on regenerative braking, friction brake parts sit unused, collecting water, mud, road debris and other grime. This creates the perfect condition for rust, which can reduce the effectiveness of your brakes, potentially resulting in longer stopping distances. In an emergency, this can be incredibly dangerous.
Although New Zealand roads are not salted to remove ice and snow in winter, regular inspection, lubrication and cleaning of brake components is still recommended.
Of Particular Interest: Rust
When corrosion starts to spread, it’s often too late. Expensive parts may need to be replaced:
- Seized components: If disc pads, caliper slide pins, pistons or other moving parts corrode and seize, this can cause brakes to be stuck on, causing asymmetrical wear and overheating. In a worst-case scenario, the vehicle may lose braking ability.
- Corrosion damage: rust can eat away at brake rotors and pads, reducing brake performance or reducing pad and rotor thickness below the manufacturer’s minimum specifications.
Why Perform Annual Maintenance on Braking Systems?
For all the reasons above, anything that moves in the brake system needs to be inspected and cleaned (and lubricated if necessary). Manufacturers recommend annual servicing of the brake system.
This includes brake fluid, all caliper brackets and mounting points:
- Caliper pins: If these are seized, brake pads will wear abnormally.
- Caliper pistons: If seized, this will greatly reduce brake performance during emergency braking.
- Caliper: a seized caliper can cost hundreds of dollars in parts and repairs (even thousands of dollars for some models).
- Brake fluid: brake systems rely on hygroscopic brake fluid – which absorbs moisture from the environment. “Wet” brake fluid reduces brake system performance and can lead to internal corrosion damage of brake control units and other hydraulic parts.