Have you found yourself wanting to purchase a Tesla and now you’re wondering about how many moving parts they have?

Tesla has an advanced electric powertrain that yields exceptional results.  Compared to gas-powered internal combustible engines which have many moving parts, Tesla car’s electrical motors have only one main moving part: the rotor. 

Tesla cars have approximately 65 accessory moving parts, such as power seats and windshield wipers.  

This article will explore what moving parts in a vehicle are, why fewer moving parts on a vehicle is a good thing, how Tesla builds working engines with so few moving parts, and how their cars compare to typical gas-powered ones. 

What Are Moving Parts In Vehicles?

Regarding machines, parts can either be fixed or moving.  Fixed parts are stationary and do not move as the car is running (such as a car battery).  Moving parts are parts in the car engine that have to move to function. 

For example, fuel, gas-powered engine blocks, cylinder heads, crankshafts and fuel injectors all move in a gas-powered vehicle. 

The moving parts of an electric vehicle (below 50 parts) are much less than a car that has a combustible engine (number of moving parts can be in the thousands). 

Moving parts of a vehicle can include:

• Pistons (intake stroke, compression stroke and exhaust stroke happens here, all requiring movement to work)
• Connecting Rod
• Valves
• Spark Plugs
• Coolant
• Brake Fluid
• Propulsion Electric Motor
• Windshield Wipers
• Heating/Ventilation
• Door Mechanisms
• Window Mechanisms 
• Steering Components

Why Are Less Moving Parts In A Vehicle Beneficial?

When building a vehicle, fewer moving parts is always a better option because, with less moving parts, the less likely damage and wear will occur to the engine. 

Including less moving parts in a vehicle helps to eliminate constant friction, noise, and damage which could improve the longevity of the engine.  

Another benefit of having less moving parts in a vehicle is that the vehicle expends much less energy to work compared to cars with more moving parts. 

A lot of kinetic energy is put into moving the different parts of a car to get it to run efficiently.  The fewer energy vehicles must expend to function, the more energy efficient (and cost-effective) they become.

Less moving parts in a vehicle also results in less overall vibration within the vehicle, which can also help to increase the car’s lifespan. 

The more vibration that occurs throughout a vehicle, the more both moving and fixed parts can be negatively affected due to the constant subtle movements increasing the amount of wear and tear.  

Additionally, fewer moving parts in a vehicle can be beneficial because fewer parts rely on each other to work. 

This reduces the time and energy the car must spend to function properly.  When a car has more moving parts, this increases the likelihood that it must rely on other functions of the car to work properly.  

Finally, Tesla vehicles being built with fewer moving parts makes for easier, quicker, and more efficient repairs. 

If a Tesla part fails to function properly, other parts will not be dependent upon it, saving on damage, repair work, and money.

Tesla Motors Compared To Gas-Powered Engines

Tesla Vehicles Undergo Less Wear And Tear Than Gas-Powered 

Since Tesla vehicles do not have more than one main moving part, they undergo significantly less wear and tear on their overall design compared to gas-powered vehicles. 

Tesla vehicles are more efficient than gas-powered ones because the parts do not rely on each other to work, nor do they cause constant vibration when the car is moving, saving on damage and energy.

Tesla Motors Do Not Require Oil For Lubrication

Tesla vehicles require no oil to lubricate any moving parts because of how the motors derive energy from rechargeable batteries. 

This can help drivers save on the cost of either buying oil change supplies or taking their vehicles to be serviced for routine oil changes.  

Tesla Vehicles Require Less Maintenance Than Gas-Powered Vehicles 

Since Tesla cars have so few moving parts, they require less maintenance be done to the motors and other parts compared to gas-powered ones. 

This means that although Tesla parts are more costly, in theory, they should rarely need replacing. 

However, much research and testing is still needed in the electrical vehicle industry to improve reliability.  

Tesla Vehicle Parts Are More Costly Than Traditional Vehicle Parts

Gas-powered vehicles have many parts and have been around longer and are therefore more widely circulated so parts are cheaper. 

Tesla, on the other hand, is still considered a newer brand.  Because of this, Tesla’s parts are not sold as commonly as gas-powered vehicle parts, making them much more expensive.       

Different Models Of Tesla Vehicles Have Different Numbers Of Moving Parts

Older models of Tesla vehicles have more moving parts (around 15,000) than the newer models, which have as little as one moving part. 

This is because with newer Tesla models, the induction motor was introduced, at first with three moving parts (two coils and a rotor) which almost completely fill the space between them when operating at 100% capacity.  

In other Tesla models, there are approximately 37 moving parts.  This is possible by ensuring the vehicles have the same number of wheels and legs so the motor is able to quickly move through all of them while causing as little friction as possible. 

In turn, temperatures within the vehicle are kept to a minimum, keeping the parts from wearing down.  

Summary

Although Tesla vehicles are still considered a new phenomenon to most people, the technology and innovation driving their development is unmatched by other vehicle producers. 

The ability of the Tesla company to design such an energy-efficient, minimalistic, cost-effective electrical motor is paving the way of electrical vehicle producers everywhere.       

As Tesla vehicles continue to develop vehicles with fewer moving parts, their products will become more reliable, cost-efficient and energy efficient. 

Tesla started off producing vehicles with many parts (comparable to cars powered by combustion) and quickly worked its way into producing cars that have little to no moving parts at all.