So if you go to Ford's website and look up the Focus, Ford is claiming that the electric version of the Focus doesn't need oil changes. I'm a little skeptical about that claim, but I wanted to see what everyone here think. Is this true? Is it not? Is there a fine print on this claim?
This is true, the electric version has no gas engine. It is a pure battery powered car. No gas either... But there is a 76 mile range according to the EPA, not exactly good for traveling.
Ford Focus.... No oil changes.... Ever....?? So there is no differential / transfer case? The electric motors are direct drive to the front wheels?
It has a 1-speed automatic transmission. When one thinks "oil change" it is usually engine oil. Being this is has a Permanent Magnet Electric Traction Motor there is no need for an Engine Oil change.
Sooo at 150,000 miles when the one speed burns up the auto clutches..... The mechanic might say sumptin like...... "Oh yeah, you shuda changed the earl" "A re-built plus installation will run you about $8,000.00 +tax" Unless of course they use "Lifetime" Earl", then thats a totally different song...
I would also suspect electric motors have shaft bearings so there is a distinct possibility that bearing needs to be lubricated from time to time. But no oil change.
If you take a car to a shop and ask for an "oil change", they won't touch the differential. It is a marketing web page and they are using a common meaning of the term.
Craven Speed dipstick to check the depth of the electrons? Never changed the oil in our 2 stroke SAAB, but man did it burn it, a quart every tank full.
If you can find a crankcase..... You can drain the oil... But no crankcase....no oilchange... You ever change the oil on your vacuum cleaner?! OK...maybe saying golf cart is more appropriate..... And the 76 mile range is under ideal conditions.... Folks in the northeast found the electric LEAF could go less than HALF its rated range on cold days...batteries don't do well in the cold, then add that little electric HEATER running on a battery.... VW tried a heat pump on a few models of thir electric car, but the extra $$$ vs the range was a killer.... I see the day when electric cars have GASOLINE powered heaters like the old VW bugs....
Earl is earl.... Either it got's it, or it don't... If it got's it.... At some point it needs changing... If it don't got's it.... Then it don't need changin.... These guys are Earlmen..... Actually, early Earlmen....
Notice they said "no oil change" not "no scheduled maintenance".... It still gonna need something....just not gas in the tank, oil in the crankcase... Kinda like what happened when railroads went from steam to diesel.... Or folks " parked" their horses at the local dogfood plant and bought model "a" cars from that Henry fellow...they no longer had to muck a stall....
Isn't the Tesla just "one speed" also? With all the torque available at like 0 rpm, there's no real need for gears.
Mini say the gearbox oil is lifetime oil lol and the fuel filter is lifetime aswell changed both at 45kk and they clearly needed changing
"Lifetime" definition: the duration of a thing's existence or usefulness..... Sooooo..... With all the snickering about this "Lifetime" thing going on with BMW/MINI.... Perhaps their marketing people were very astute.... Were we MINI owners thinking the oil or filter would last forever? Maybe BMW/MINI was really saying the lifetime of the item was only as long as it's usefulness.... Once you exceeded it's usefulness, you've exceeded it's "lifetime"...:idea:
What they really mean is the engineered lifetime of the assembly using the fluid. They fully intend for automatic transmissions to be disposable after 100k miles. It's our stupid fault that we expect them to last longer, in their logic.