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.
1
Can you push an electric car?
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.
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.
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 expensive 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 effected.
