If Tesla had bothered to cooperate, electric car batteries could be repaired at assembly line speed. But that's not the case, says mechanic Fredrik Grufman.
Mechanic Fredrik Grufman warns of a costly and unexpected failure that can occur in electric car batteries. Older Tesla Model S in particular have proven to have an Achilles heel that can lead to significant repair costs.
The problem is that water can penetrate the battery.
– The most common fault that occurs on Tesla batteries (Older Model S) is water entering the battery.
"Water and electricity are a particularly bad combination, especially when it's high-voltage equipment. The battery's computer senses that there is a short circuit inside the battery and turns it off," says Fredrik Grufman in a new video on his YouTube channel.
On older Teslas, this happens when water gets in through the umbrella valves located along the edge of the battery. Dirt and grit can collect here and cause the valves to stick, allowing water and moisture to enter.
Grufman therefore urges electric car owners to be careful when washing their car.
– If you buy an electric car like a Tesla, you should learn about it first. There are many things that differ from traditional cars, which you should be especially careful about when washing the car, he says.
He especially advises against rinsing the undercarriage of electric cars. "It cannot be ruled out that machine washing with undercarriage rinsing is unsuitable for electric cars.
And that frequent use of undercarriage flushing in particular can increase the risk of battery failure. There are no benefits whatsoever to flushing the undercarriage of an electric car.
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In addition to water damage, there are other challenges associated with repairing electric car batteries. Despite the fact that electric cars have been widely available on the market for over a decade, there is still limited knowledge about batteries in repair shops.
– This means that all attempts to save old batteries are at best in the experimental stage. Some workshops succeed better, others not so well. The problem with battery repairs, however, is that 7,000 cells have "lived together" for a long time and worn against each other, says Fredrik Grufman.
A further challenge is the lack of spare parts and information from some car manufacturers.
-Some car manufacturers provide spare parts, tools and technical literature to repair the batteries, some others do not. Like Tesla. When the battery breaks, it is more or less finished, says Fredrik Grufman.
Tesla is an example of a manufacturer that makes it difficult to repair batteries.
– Although you can theoretically lift the protective cover of the battery pack and make a repair on the older batteries, Tesla does not provide parts, no computer systems or information on how to actually do this correctly, says Fredrik Grufman.
– The most difficult thing about repairing electric car batteries is the 100 percent lack of information and spare parts.
"At least that's how it is on the Tesla side. If Tesla had supplied parts, manuals and instructions, we would have repaired batteries on an assembly line (assuming it was profitable)," says Fredrik Grufman.
Although electric car battery repairs can be complex, it is not necessarily dangerous.
– Repairing batteries is generally safe, and if you take appropriate precautions, pull out main fuses and use prescribed protective equipment, the risk of injury is low.
– I think you should consider working on batteries or high voltage a bit like working with something that is hot. It requires training and protective equipment. If you use it, it usually goes well, says Fredrik Grufman.
