All You Need To Know About Shipping An Electric Vehicle

All You Need To Know About Shipping An Electric Vehicle

All You Need To Know About Shipping An Electric Vehicle

15 October 2019

Jump to: The basics about shipping an electric car What is different about shipping an electric car? Tips for shipping an electric car? Final word

The basics about shipping an electric car

Shipping an electric vehicle is almost no different from shipping a regular car nowadays. As with a regular car, you still need to book your shipment in advanced and prepare yourself and your car for its transport. The auto transport process is not a difficult one, however, you still need to plan your shipment and prepare your car for transport prior to your driver arriving to pick up your electric vehicle. We will detail what you need to do below.

What is different about shipping an electric car?

There is not much difference these days between shipping an electric car and a regular gas-powered car these days. In years past, some companies had concerns over the risk of the batteries possibly overheating and exploding. So, some companies refused to ship electric cars while some others charged more to do so. However, that is almost never the case anymore. The batteries are safer than ever in electric vehicles and auto transport companies started to realize that the chances of an EV battery exploding while the car was being driven on or of the carrier was slim and that the chance of an EV battery exploding during the actual transport while the vehicle was off was even smaller. The chances of either of these things happening are now pretty much the same as they would be with a regular car.

Tips for shipping an electric car?

Make sure it is charged - Your auto transport driver will need to be able to get your car on and off the auto carrier by driving it. You will also need a bit of a charge left once the driver drops your car off so you can drive it to a charger. So, be sure your electric vehicle has enough of a charge for all of that. If it is a hybrid, be sure you have some gas in it as well.

Remove all personal items - You should not try and ship any personal items in your vehicle. They will not be covered by any auto transport insurance if they are lost, stolen or damaged.

Be sure that the car is completely ready for transport - This will include checking your tire pressure and making sure that the car is in proper running order. Your best bet is to bring it by your mechanic for a quick check before your shipping date. If your car has an issue during transport such as a flat tire or the engine won’t start, you could end up getting hit with a fee for an inoperable vehicle which will likely be pretty expensive.

Wash the car - When your auto transport driver arrives, they will need to examine the car for any pre-existing damage so they can take note of it on the bill of lading. This prevents the car shipping company from being liable for this pre-existing damage, but it also allows them to make sure that any damage that might occur during transport gets covered. If your car is dirty, this pre-shipping examination will take a lot longer than it needs to.

Remove toll and parking tags - If you leave toll or parking tags in your car during shipping, you might end up being charged for those times when your auto hauler passes through a toll. Avoid this by removing those tags prior to your car being picked up.

Final word

Shipping an electric car in 2020 and beyond is not any more difficult or expensive than shipping a regular gas-powered vehicle is. Car shipping companies used to be wary of shipping these types of cars due to concerns over the safety of their batteries but that is not the case anymore. You really just need to prepare for your vehicle shipment as you would for shipping any other car.