When your car breaks down, what do you do?
Of course, you take it to the repair shop, or if you’re handy, you try to fix it yourself and go to Pep Boys or Auto Zone for the parts. But what if your car’s electric? Well, then your day just got a whole lot easier.
Electric cars have much fewer parts than regular gas-powered cars. There’s no need to change the oil, since there is no oil, and no need to put in new filters, because there are no filters. Every 1 to 3 years, you simply replace the battery. Besides scheduled maintenance (tires, wiper blades, etc.), that’s all you need to do!
Many startups are cashing in on the electric vehicle industry. But a few parts suppliers have been at it from the beginning, including one company in sunny southern California that’s been doing a brisk trade since 1979!
Electric cars are no longer a hobbyist toy — they’re a real, valid method of transportation that beat the traditional carmakers at their own game. And the tinkering streak of many EV users makes it easy to find help for your vehicle both online and in person. There are many electric-car clubs scattered all around the country, and getting the help or parts you need is a breeze.
Electric cars are the wave of the future – and with many less parts and much less maintenance, you can help the environment while also helping your wallet as well!

It started before the turn of the 20^th century as mentioned above.  However, one would have to realize that at that particular time, automobiles were luxury items.  They were not something that you expected everyone to purchase.  Because of that, electric car parts were not really widespread at the time.  This held through throughout most of the 20^th century until the 1990s when mass interest in the concept of the electric car was revived through the geopolitical issues surrounding the importation of oil.

At that particular moment, there were some mechanics out there that started adding the ability to deal with electric car parts to their garages.  This was relatively easy to do in most areas since the only real difference is the engine between electric and combustion vehicles.  Therefore, any type of body work or cosmetic repairs could easily be done by the same mechanic that did work on a person’s gasoline-powered car.

And that is exactly where we stand at the moment.  If you go to your local mechanic you will likely not be able to get the electric-specific components that your car might need.  For those, you will still need special order.

At the current moment in time, most mechanics do not have the ability to do completely comprehensive repairs on the unique electric parts of electric vehicles.  Some of the more intelligent ones could probably do it thinking on their feet, but if you want replacement parts purchased and installed, you are best off going back to the dealer that sold you the car and getting the replacement parts directly from them.  Since the replacement parts are not mass produced in the same way as they would be with a gasoline engine, you can also expect them to cost more money.

This is an unfortunate truth, but it is indeed the truth.  There is no way to escape it.  And as long as the electric vehicle industry continues to be a second tier industry within the US marketplace, one can expect current trends with electric car parts to continue.  Anything else would fly in the face of economics, which means quite plainly that very few if any companies will be willing to do it.