Torque Shop: Do brakes in electric cars have a longer service life?

I recently bought an electric car. While introducing me to the various features, the salesman told me servicing would be much less frequent and cheaper than for a regular car. The brake pads, for example, would easily last twice as long. This is a little baffling to me because I know the brakes do their usual work plus the task of energy recuperation. Does this not mean the brakes would require more attention than normal?

Your electric car's brakes look exactly like any disc and caliper system found in combustion-engined cars. But each time the brake pedal is applied or the accelerator is released, the car's electrical power management system engages the motor to function as an alternator to charge the batteries.

This means the motor is doing work to produce electricity. How much energy is produced is controlled by the power management system, which also evaluates the amount of braking desired by the driver.

Hence, based on the level of pressure applied on the brake pedal, the amount of electrical energy generated can be varied. While doing work as a generator, the motor will experience mechanical load. The effect is a degree of retardation that is similar to engine braking in a petrol or diesel vehicle.

So, although the brake pedal is depressed, the car modulates brake fluid pressure so that less work is required of the conventional brakes. With some electric cars, the energy recuperation can be set to such a level that demands little or no input from the brake pedal.

This means less friction braking is provided by the brake pads, translating to a longer service life.