How Many Moving Parts Do Electric Cars Use? ICE/EV Compared

Electric cars use batteries to power the vehicle, instead of an engine and other moving components. This leads one to wonder just how many moving parts electric cars use, compared to a combustion-powered car. 

Electric cars use around twenty moving parts, with the exact number differing between each make and model. Nevertheless, electric cars use less than internal combustion engine cars, which use about 2000 moving parts.

In this article, I’ll list and explain all the moving parts used in electric cars. I’ll also explore the advantages of using fewer moving parts, why some parts are omitted from electric cars, and more. 

How Many Moving Parts in a Tesla Engine? 

Generally speaking, electric cars have about 20 moving parts included in the vehicle. However, this varies depending on the manufacturer. So what about tesla? How many moving parts does Tesla use in their electric car engines? 

Seventeen moving parts are typically used in a Tesla engine, which is slightly below average for an electric car engine. Although, some models do use more in their design. Still, Tesla has about 90% fewer moving parts than traditional engines. 

What Are the Benefits of Less Moving Parts in a Car? 

Electric cars have roughly one moving part for every hundred moving pieces used in internal combustion engines. This comes with some significant advantages.

The main benefit of having fewer moving parts in a car is that less maintenance is required for the car to function. Fewer moving parts also means fewer potential problems can arise as fewer things go wrong. Fewer moving parts also make repairs more manageable and less complicated. 

Electric cars require less regular maintenance than traditional internal combustion engine cars. This is because a high amount of the maintenance involved in keeping cars is targeted at moving parts like transmissions or pistons that are not present in electric cars. 

When there are more minor moving parts used in anything, there are fewer ways things can go wrong. As a result, your electric car will be less vulnerable to mechanical issues than traditional gas-powered cars. 

Since there are fewer potential issues with electric cars, repair work is generally more accessible and straightforward than gas cars. As a result, repair work can be completed quicker and easier for the mechanics, which will reduce labor costs and the overall cost of your repair. 

Do Electric Cars Use Transmissions? 

Electric cars lack a large portion of the parts that traditional cars use. I’ve already covered this in detail. However, I’m yet to discuss which pieces you are accustomed to are missing from electric vehicles. One part that people often wonder about is transmissions, and are they used in electric vehicles? 

Electric cars typically don’t use transmissions. Rather, electric cars operate in one gear and can thus accelerate or decelerate without using transmission to shift gears. Nonetheless, a few electric cars do contain a transmission, though this is rare. 

Since electric cars lack a transmission, they also don’t have a reverse gear. Instead, the electric engine reverses the direction it spins, allowing the car to go backward. When cars have only one gear, it means that you don’t have to worry about damages occurring to gears or the clutch, which are common issues in gas or diesel cars. 

Check out the table below for more details of what’s missing and included in electric cars compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. 

Components	Electric Cars	ICE Cars
Transmission	Usually no	Yes
Clutch	Usually no	Yes (if manual)
Gears	Usually no	Yes
Driveshaft	Yes, but individual ones for each wheel	Yes
Exhaust	No	Yes
Fan belts	No	Yes
Alternator	No	Yes

To learn more about how electric cars work and the parts used, check out this video:

https://youtu.be/tJfERzrG-D8

Do Electric Cars Use Engine Oil? 

Electric cars are powered with batteries instead of traditional internal combustion engines, which use flammable liquids like gas. The mechanisms involved in combustion engines are more complex, with ten times as many moving parts involved. As a result, engine oil is required, but what about electric cars?

Electric cars don’t use engine oil, but rather engine lubricants. Unlike oil, lubricants don’t require a bi-monthly refill, as electric cars don’t utilize combustion and have fewer moving parts. This can result in significant savings over a few years on maintenance and materials.

If you have ever owned a gas car that consumes a lot of engine oil, you’ll know how expensive engine oil can be over time. Although, if you own an electric car, you won’t have to invest in this regular maintenance as it’s not necessary. 

Will All Cars Be Electric in the Future?

Electric cars still make up a minority of the new cars sold every year, yet many see them as full of potential. Every year the sales of these vehicles increase, with most major car manufacturers now offering them. 

It’s expected that 20% of all sales will be electric cars in the future. This global estimate is for 2050 and could be even higher as states worldwide are starting to phase out internal combustion engine cars to comply with climate change policies.

Japan, China, Britain, and some European countries have committed to stopping the sale of internal combustion engine cars within the next twenty years. This will surely increase electric cars’ market share as their biggest competition is slowly becoming illegal in the future. 

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