One of the best things about EVs is how little there is to maintain. The list of things that don’t exist is longer than the list of things that do.No oil changes, no transmission fluid, no timing belts, no spark plugs.
But simpler doesn’t mean zero. And the maintenance that remains can be surprisingly consequential.
We’re prepping our salvage Model 3 for Tesla’s high-voltage battery inspection — the final step before Supercharging gets re-enabled. Before the appointment, we pulled the front bumper cover and cleaned out the radiator and condenser. Here’s what came out:
That’s a lot of dried leaves, twigs, and grit packed into the radiator enclosure. That’s missing some of the bigger bits of paper and packaging. On an ICE car, this would probably cause overheating in traffic. On an EV, the consequences are different but just as real: the thermal management system uses that radiator to cool the battery during fast charging. Clog it up, and the battery management system will throttle your charge rate to protect the pack. You’ll sit at a Supercharger wondering why you’re stuck at 40 kW instead of 150.
No dipstick to check. No filter to swap. Just a radiator that still needs airflow — same as it ever was.
If you’re driving an EV, especially one that’s been sitting or spent time under trees, take five minutes and check your radiator fins. A garden hose and some patience can make the difference between a 20-minute charge stop and an hour-long one.
Outrun Carbon 