Do Electric Vehicles Have Differential Oil Like Combustion Cars?
Electric vehicles are known to require less routine maintenance compared to internal combustion vehicles. With EVs, you could say goodbye to regular engine oil changes, but what about differential oil? Do electric vehicles even have differentials, and do they require oil changes?
Let’s dive into these questions and find the answers!
Do EVs Have Differentials?
Electric vehicles that feature single or dual motor configurations, like the Tesla Model 3, are equipped with differentials. These types of EVs use differentials for the same reasons internal combustion vehicles do. When torque is being sent to a single axle, either via an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, it’s necessary to distribute it in a way that allows the inner and outer wheels to not be locked into spinning at the same speed. This is where differentials come in: they allow the two wheels to spin independently of one another.
Differentials are essential in allowing the vehicle to turn effectively and maneuver safely in daily driving situations. In Tesla’s case, the electric motor is connected to a single-speed transmission, which connects the electric motor to an open differential. This differential, which is part of the drive unit along with the reduction gears, needs lubrication. Without it, you’d have metal parts rubbing against other metal parts, with the increased friction causing accelerated wear and ultimately damaging the powertrain.
Therefore, certain electric vehicles have differentials that require a specific type of oil to keep everything functioning correctly. The oil is also used to cool certain vehicle components (including the motor itself in some cases), making its way to an oil cooler where the oil and coolant interact to reduce the temperature of the components.
Do You Need to Change the Differential Fluid on an EV?
Do you need to change the differential fluid in your EV? Well, that depends on the manufacturer. Tesla doesn’t make any official recommendations or suggest service intervals to change the differential fluid.Maintaining your EVcan be a tricky subject, but you can definitely service your Tesla’s drive unit (where the differential is located) with fresh lubricant if you need to (it is equipped with fill and drain plugs).
What you’d consider differential oil on a traditional car would be more aptly named a drive unit lubricant in Tesla’s case because the oil lubricates the transmission as well as the differential. Some Teslas, like the Model 3, even have an oil filter that looks very much like a conventional cylindrical engine oil filter, again making servicing the drive unit’s fluid relatively straightforward.
There are videos online of mechanics changing drive unit fluid on Teslas, and the process is relatively simple. The amusing thing is that people are choosing to do this even though Tesla’s service guidelines don’t mention it. Perhaps the manufacturer doesn’t think this fluid is under enough stress to warrant frequent servicing; the most important thing should be to follow the automaker’s recommendation when it comes to routine maintenance.
If your vehicle is under warranty and it’s determined that the oil needs changing, your vehicle will get serviced under warranty by service center experts. Once out of warranty, it’s possible to choose to do it yourself or take it to a specialist EV garage if needed.
How Do You Change the Differential Fluid on an EV?
If your EV’s drive unit fluid can be serviced, you’ll find the appropriate fill and drain plugs, and the procedure should be similar to servicing a traditional vehicle’s differential oil. This means you’ll have to drain the old fluid out using the drain plug and then fill it back up to the manufacturer’s specifications, using the specific type of fluid recommended in the vehicle’s service manual.
Always make sure that the fill plug can be unscrewed before attempting to drain the oil; you don’t want to drain the vehicle’s drive unit oil without being certain you can fill it back up again. Some vehicles have drive units that are sealed for life, without accessible drainage points.
If the service also requires an oil filter, you should purchase the correct oil filter and switch out the old one at whatever point in the procedure your EV manufacturer recommends.
We can’t stress this enough: each manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations are different, so you should consult your owners' manual before proceeding with any work.
Electric Vehicle Maintenance Is a Learning Experience
The type of maintenance required for EVs, such as replacing inverters and battery cells (among other EV-specific components), is bound to be different from what owners have previously experienced with their traditional vehicles. Even the service intervals for liquids can vary due to the decreased stress placed on these fluids due to EVs producing less waste heat.
With electric vehicles, the most important type of maintenance is taking good care of the battery, as this is one of the most crucial components on your EV and by far the most expensive to replace.
Whether you own a Tesla, Hyundai, Nissan, or otherwise, you’ll want to keep one eye on your EV battery health.
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