Why would an electric car need service at 12,000 miles and what exactly does that service consists of? I am on my third electric car and I've never had one tell me that it needed a service. Does anyone know what is done and what do they charge for it?
I'm going to take a guess it's to keep their dealerships happy. Dealership parts and service departments generate about half the revenue of a dealership. One of the problems automakers are having with EVs is getting their independently (as in not part of the parent company) owned dealerships to sell them. This is actually why Tesla doesn't have a franchise dealer network.
For routine maintenance on my Volt I check the owner accessible fluid levels (oil, all three cooling systems, brake, and washer) once a month and have Discount Tire rotate and balance the tires every 5,000 miles. It's had two oil changes (free with the purchase of the car) and won't need the next oil change for another 12 to 15 months. As good as my preferred Chevy dealership's service department is, they still aren't getting any money from me as a result.
