Moving Parts and Long-Term Maintenance

[Trev Page]

No doubt Model S has a lot less moving parts than an ICE vehicle due to not having an ICE. When I discuss Model S with interested parties I generally simplify the drivetrain as only 2 or 3 moving parts which in reality is pretty close. The point here is that the drivetrain is very reliable and nobody thinks about it much compared to having to maintain the engine in an ICE car. As a whole the Model S has certainly more than 18 moving parts when you take is as a whole but an ICE car, even the simplest, has an order of magnitude more than a Tesla.

 

[JST]

My original post here was in the short term stock movement thread, in response to an analyst making the claim of 18 moving parts v. 2000. It makes sense to split the thread, but I just wanted to give that context about where the number came from and why I was posting about it.

I agree that the Model S drivetrain is mechanically simpler, probably by at least 1 order of magnitude, than a typical ICE car. The actual number of parts doesn't really matter, I suppose, because the real question is whether that simplicity is going to translate into greater durability and lower cost. It certainly seems like it should, but I get very skeptical of analysts that take a factoid like the above (which may or may not be accurate in the first instance) and use it to jump to the conclusion that Teslas will necessarily be easier and cheaper to maintain in the medium and long term.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

The Model S has vastly fewer moving parts in the drivetrain and it is far less complicated than an ICE, but it's also new and hasn't stood the test of time.

ICEs have been around for over 100 years and manufacturers have gotten very good at making them reliable. All of my previous cars were driven in excess of 120,000 miles - one to 220,000 miles - and suffered no major engine issues or failures. Just because it has more moving parts doesn't, by itself, make something less reliable. I've had far more problems with my Model S than all of my previous cars combined, so let's not get too carried away.

Yes, the technology is simpler from a mechanical perspective. Is it more reliable? Time will tell.