Will harvester models be "maintenance free" like their EV siblings?

[Scout2027]

We know EVs only need minimal maintenance under regular usage (windshield fluid and brakepads).

Now if the engine is only charging the batteries here, what extra maintenance are we looking at in harvester models?

I am essentially asking if we get a harvester, will we be giving service centers a chance to "magically" come up with a $1000 plus bill every time we visit ( subaru does that to my friend) or will we still enjoy minimal maintenance like other EVs as the harvester is only a generator here? Just scared that more moving parts mean more maintenance cost.

 

[THil08]

We know EVs only need minimal maintenance under regular usage (windshield fluid and brakepads).

Now if the engine is only charging the batteries here, what extra maintenance are we looking at in harvester models?

I am essentially asking if we get a harvester, will we be giving service centers a chance to "magically" come up with a $1000 plus bill every time we visit ( subaru does that to my friend) or will we still enjoy minimal maintenance like other EVs as the harvester is only a generator here? Just scared that more moving parts mean more maintenance cost.

The harvester will probably only need a regular maintenance so air filter, and oil change, cabin filter, spark plugs every certain of thousands of miles.

Subaru charges over $1000 on because they have to pull the engine out to do any type of maintenance. We suspect that Scout will have some type of access port. And they are also supporting right to repair so harvester maintenance could be apart of it.

 

[Albal]

Well, hopefully not $1K, but it will need the service of any other ICE car. So oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, belts, smog, etc. Plus, even if you always drive in EV mode, the car will need to run the engine now and then to prevent it from drying out and to prevent the gas from going bad (ie, to burn it off). That's why I'm not considering it myself. It's the best of both worlds, but it's also the worst of both worlds. You'll want to charge it up to use it as an EV, but you'll also need to go to a gas station at least occasionally to fill it up with gas. So higher maintenance costs and more hassle.

For anyone considering it who doesn't have an absolute requirement for non-stop 500 mile range (ie you travel around with a pee bottle) or long distance towing, I'd strongly suggest renting an EV for a few days or a week to experience them before committing one way or the other. That will probably be enough time to get over any EV-only doubts. And if the EV test doesn't do it, climbing back into your ICE afterward will do the trick!

 

[cyure]

Well, hopefully not $1K, but it will need the service of any other ICE car. So oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, belts, smog, etc. Plus, even if you always drive in EV mode, the car will need to run the engine now and then to prevent it from drying out and to prevent the gas from going bad (ie, to burn it off). That's why I'm not considering it myself. It's the best of both worlds, but it's also the worst of both worlds. You'll want to charge it up to use it as an EV, but you'll also need to go to a gas station at least occasionally to fill it up with gas. So higher maintenance costs and more hassle.

For anyone considering it who doesn't have an absolute requirement for non-stop 500 mile range (ie you travel around with a pee bottle) or long distance towing, I'd strongly suggest renting an EV for a few days or a week to experience them before committing one way or the other. That will probably be enough time to get over any EV-only doubts. And if the EV test doesn't do it, climbing back into your ICE afterward will do the trick!

I may have to rent one for a weekend just to see. That’s a good idea. The harvester hooked me but now I am doing my research.

 

[Scout2027]

Well, hopefully not $1K, but it will need the service of any other ICE car. So oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, belts, smog, etc. Plus, even if you always drive in EV mode, the car will need to run the engine now and then to prevent it from drying out and to prevent the gas from going bad (ie, to burn it off). That's why I'm not considering it myself. It's the best of both worlds, but it's also the worst of both worlds. You'll want to charge it up to use it as an EV, but you'll also need to go to a gas station at least occasionally to fill it up with gas. So higher maintenance costs and more hassle.

For anyone considering it who doesn't have an absolute requirement for non-stop 500 mile range (ie you travel around with a pee bottle) or long distance towing, I'd strongly suggest renting an EV for a few days or a week to experience them before committing one way or the other. That will probably be enough time to get over any EV-only doubts. And if the EV test doesn't do it, climbing back into your ICE afterward will do the trick!

I searched more online to see if there is data for EREVs in China but couldn't find reliable results. However it appears "worst of both worlds" might not be the case. Maintenance is expected to be lower than ICE cars but how much lower is what I want to know.

So lets hope by 2027 we will have good data available from other cars to make an informed decision.

 

[Mousehunter]

When I was researching generators - I found most suggested service every 100 hours of use - and at least the one we settled on would go into limp mode at 200 hours (they would allow an extended service interval in case of emergency). If you throw 50mph on a car - 100/200hrs would be 5k or 10k miles. Pretty much what vehicle manufacturers recommend for vehicles.

The "problem" with backup generators - you eat through those 100hrs incredibly fast when you have an extended power outage. 4 days between oil changes.

 

[BartMan Terra Total EV]

Well, hopefully not $1K, but it will need the service of any other ICE car. So oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, belts, smog, etc. Plus, even if you always drive in EV mode, the car will need to run the engine now and then to prevent it from drying out and to prevent the gas from going bad (ie, to burn it off). That's why I'm not considering it myself. It's the best of both worlds, but it's also the worst of both worlds. You'll want to charge it up to use it as an EV, but you'll also need to go to a gas station at least occasionally to fill it up with gas. So higher maintenance costs and more hassle.

For anyone considering it who doesn't have an absolute requirement for non-stop 500 mile range (ie you travel around with a pee bottle) or long distance towing, I'd strongly suggest renting an EV for a few days or a week to experience them before committing one way or the other. That will probably be enough time to get over any EV-only doubts. And if the EV test doesn't do it, climbing back into your ICE afterward will do the trick!

Awesome advise!

 

[Jrgunn5150]

There's no way for them to be maintenance free. ICE engines require multiple forms of constant maintenance.

It's the whole reason I ordered a BEV Terra, I don't want to do a thing but plug it in, unplug it, and go places.

If I wanted to dink with plugs and filters, I can just drive any one of the 7 old trucks I already own that require that.

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

From a practical and raw parts standpoint, there is no way the Harvester would be as simple as the BEV model. The entire engine, fuel lines, gas tank, coolant, generator itself and more are all potential maintenance items that have to be dealt with. Theoretically it should be less maintenance/wear and tear in some respects because of the use case versus a "normal" ICE vehicle. Let's see how it all plays out in the end.

 

[Cranky Canuck]

Having owned a plug-in hybrid in the past which is similar in use case to what the Harvester will be, there will be at a minimum annual oil changes. These will be along with the usual filters, coolants, and other stuff that will need replacing at regular intervals. The maintenance for the Harvester version will certainly be more than for the BEV version because combustion engines are mechanically complex and finicky. It will definitely be more expensive on an ongoing basis to have the Harvester than to just have the BEV.

 

[Hurleyzzzz]

We know EVs only need minimal maintenance under regular usage (windshield fluid and brakepads).

Now if the engine is only charging the batteries here, what extra maintenance are we looking at in harvester models?

I am essentially asking if we get a harvester, will we be giving service centers a chance to "magically" come up with a $1000 plus bill every time we visit ( subaru does that to my friend) or will we still enjoy minimal maintenance like other EVs as the harvester is only a generator here? Just scared that more moving parts mean more maintenance cost.

I currently drive an EV with a range extender. My REX is basically a 2 cylinder engine. I have to do a once a year oil change on it. I take it to the dealership and it runs me $200.

 

[THil08]

I currently drive an EV with a range extender. My REX is basically a 2 cylinder engine. I have to do a once a year oil change on it. I take it to the dealership and it runs me $200.

my favorite vehicle to work on when they come in. Mainly for the challenge of doing the oil change and regular service on them.

 

[Hurleyzzzz]

I searched more online to see if there is data for EREVs in China but couldn't find reliable results. However it appears "worst of both worlds" might not be the case. Maintenance is expected to be lower than ICE cars but how much lower is what I want to know.

So lets hope by 2027 we will have good data available from other cars to make an informed decision.

Take a look at BMW i3 REX.
I drive a 2017, I love having the range extender.

When I was researching generators - I found most suggested service every 100 hours of use - and at least the one we settled on would go into limp mode at 200 hours (they would allow an extended service interval in case of emergency). If you throw 50mph on a car - 100/200hrs would be 5k or 10k miles. Pretty much what vehicle manufacturers recommend for vehicles.

The "problem" with backup generators - you eat through those 100hrs incredibly fast when you have an extended power outage. 4 days between oil changes.

Although people are using the term generator, a range extender doesn’t function like a regular generator.
I have to get an annual oil change on my range extender.
It has an automatic maintenance cycle if I drive for a long time without running the REX and it burns off a very small amount of fuel to keep things lubricated.
I do make sure to only use premium grade gas for the 2 gallons it takes to fill the tank.

 

[THil08]

Take a look at BMW i3 REX.
I drive a 2017, I love having the range extender.

Although people are using the term generator, a range extender doesn’t function like a regular generator.
I have to get an annual oil change on my range extender.
It has an automatic maintenance cycle if I drive for a long time without running the REX and it burns off a very small amount of fuel to keep things lubricated.
I do make sure to only use premium grade gas for the 2 gallons it takes to fill the tank.

Welcome to the community!

Also thats nice 2 gallons, thats like what 6-8 bucks. My MINI costs me $56 bucks easily each time i fill its 16 gallon tank. Luckily it last me a bit since its my around town vehicle.

 

[Hurleyzzzz]

Welcome to the community!

Also thats nice 2 gallons, thats like what 6-8 bucks. My MINI costs me $56 bucks easily each time i fill its 16 gallon tank. Luckily it last me a bit since its my around town vehicle.

Those frequent trips to the pump got me in my EV REX. I spend about $50 a month to charge and have only bought $8 in gas in the last 5 months and that was only because someone forgot to push the power button on the charger one night. I commute about 30 miles each way to work every day.