The maintenance cost of an electric car is higher than that of a used car. Besides blowing up the car out of anger, what else should you pay attention to?

With the rapid development of the new energy vehicle market, more and more consumers are choosing environmentally friendly and energy-saving electric vehicles. However, the maintenance of electric vehicles has caused headaches for many car owners. Recently, a Finnish Tesla Model S owner chose to blow up his car because the maintenance price was too high, which aroused social attention and discussion.

It is reported that the Finnish owner's Model S broke down and was sent for repair. The official said that the entire battery pack needed to be replaced, which cost as much as US$22,600, nearly half of the original price. Buying a used Model S with complete functions only costs about US$30,000.

Therefore, the owner did not choose to repair the car in the end. Instead, he tied 30 kilograms of explosives to the faulty car and blew it up into the sky along with a dummy with Musk's portrait on it.

The new energy vehicle market has shown explosive growth in recent years, but at the same time, the high cost and difficulty of maintaining new energy vehicles have also caused widespread concern among car owners.

So, why is the maintenance of new energy vehicles expensive? How can car owners reduce risks and costs? What are the solutions?

First of all, an important reason why new energy vehicles are expensive to repair is that the damaged parts are expensive. For example, the power battery is basically the most expensive and most difficult part to repair for pure electric vehicles. According to the 16th issue of the China Insurance Research Institute's research results on the parts-to-whole ratio of automobiles, the average parts-to-whole ratio of the power battery pack of new energy vehicles is 48.85%.

That is to say, for a new energy vehicle, the price of the power battery can account for nearly half of the vehicle's price on average. The prices of other sensors on pure electric vehicles, such as laser radar, are also generally high. This is also because the components are likely to involve core patented technologies, making it difficult to achieve common components and reduce prices like fuel vehicles.

Secondly, another reason why new energy vehicles are expensive to repair is that the integration of related technologies makes it difficult to replace parts. For example, integrated die-casting, body-battery integration, etc., because the battery, chassis or body is an integral part without other parts, once serious damage occurs, it is often necessary to replace the entire part, battery, etc. This not only increases the material cost of maintenance, but also increases the labor cost and time cost of maintenance.

Thirdly, a key reason why new energy vehicle maintenance is expensive is the lack of maintenance sites, personnel and conditions. New energy vehicle maintenance requires professional equipment, tools and technicians, and there is still a lack of development in this area in China. The "Electric Passenger Vehicle After-Sales Service Specifications" implemented this year put forward requirements for new energy vehicle maintenance sites, maintenance personnel and operating conditions.

For example, maintenance technicians should be equipped with safety protection equipment, electrical maintenance sites need to be free of grease, metal chips, leaking liquids, splashing sparks, and the ground needs to be insulated, etc. This means that it is difficult for general auto repair shops and even 4S shops to meet the relevant conditions. New energy vehicle maintenance still mainly relies on official direct or authorized service centers.

Kan Youbo, director of the China Transportation Education Research Association, once estimated that among the 500,000 auto repair shops in China, no more than 10,000 can actually repair new energy vehicles. In addition, there is a large gap in domestic new energy auto repair talents. According to the "Manufacturing Talent Development Planning Guide" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, by 2025, the total number of energy-saving and new energy vehicle talents is expected to reach 1.2 million, but the talent gap is expected to reach 1.03 million. Among them, the field of new energy vehicle maintenance will face an 80% talent gap.

So, facing the high cost and difficulty of repairing new energy vehicles, how can car owners reduce risks and costs? 91che has the following suggestions:

First, when buying new energy vehicles, you should carefully understand the vehicle's warranty policy and after-sales service, such as vehicle warranty or repair service, three-electric lifetime warranty service, etc. These services can protect the rights and interests of car owners to a certain extent and avoid excessive costs due to repairs.

Second, when using new energy vehicles, you should pay attention to daily maintenance and safe driving. For example, regularly check the status of components such as batteries, motors, and electronic controls, replace worn parts in a timely manner, avoid dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, sudden braking, and sharp turns, and try to reduce the occurrence of collisions, scratches, and other accidents. These can extend the service life of new energy vehicles and reduce the frequency and degree of maintenance.

Third, when insuring new energy vehicles, you should choose appropriate commercial insurance, such as third-party liability insurance, vehicle loss insurance, additional insurance, etc. You can choose according to your needs. In case of unexpected situations, you can also reduce your own expenses and risks. At present, some insurance companies have launched exclusive insurance for new energy vehicles, covering special situations such as spontaneous combustion risks and battery damage risks, which can provide car owners with more comprehensive and considerate protection.

Fourth, when repairing new energy vehicles, you should choose regular repair institutions and channels, such as official or authorized service centers, or qualified and experienced professional repair shops. These institutions can provide more professional and standardized repair services to avoid secondary damage or safety hazards caused by poor repair quality.

In short, the new energy vehicle maintenance market is still in the development stage and requires joint efforts and cooperation from all parties. With the advancement of technology, improvement of standards, market competition, talent training and other factors, I believe that the cost and difficulty of new energy vehicle maintenance will gradually decrease in the future, bringing better car experience to the majority of car owners.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.