EV (electric vehicle) News and Discussion

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#1644867 3-Oct-2016 18:47

MikeB4:

To be fair producing electricity isn't zero emissions. There will be an impact what ever is used. More folks may feel better regarding HFC as the range anxiety is largely gone. HFC is much less an impact to what we currently have but not as good as EV with regards to impact in some countries.

Another thought passed through my tiny brain......

Range anxiety. It's really just about the unknown.

I've been driving my EV for just under 4 months now. I've driven north to Rawene a few times and one of those was a leg around SH12 and up, up, UP through the Waipoua Forest Park (saw Tane Mahuta!) and down to Dargaville and back to Auckland.....on the same day.

Saturday I went to Rawene and back again. Today I drove to Rotorua and back. Yep, it's quicker to just go to WEL at Te Rapa for a quick charge (um....45 mins, really, as it's a long leg with a big hill) and then go in one more hop via Tirau and up and over the Mamaku Hills. I've done both ways now, to and from Rotorua that way.

Shorter legs could be had via Thames, then Tauranga....to Rotorua.

I know what my car can do and I know what I can do as a driver to make that work as well as possible without being silly.

The new fast chargers mean someone living in Taupo could jump in their 24kw Gen2 LEAF early in the morning and get to Kaitaia in about 5 legs (actually - make that 6 legs), 4 of the 5 charging stops being only about 20 minutes....or make a fifth stop and make then all 20 minutes. Yep...that's about 100 minutes of stopping in what will probably be an 8 hour drive. More than a petrol car unless you have a weak bladder.

But no range anxiety. You WILL get there. :-)

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Linuxluver

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#1645704 5-Oct-2016 10:08

As in NZ, EV sales in the US are going up, despite lower oil prices.

Over 45,000 EVs were sold in the US in the 3rd quarter, the most ever in a single quarter, despite limited availability and small range of choice in many states.

EV sales going up in the US despite lower oil prices.

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lchiu7

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#1646975 6-Oct-2016 22:13

Slightly OT but I am thinking of taking a BMW i3 from Wellington to Palmerston North and back. This is the one with extender. Can I do it without charging and/or are there charging stations in PN I could use for a few hours while I am there?

It would be an interesting drive :-)

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Linuxluver

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#1646988 6-Oct-2016 22:46

lchiu7:

Slightly OT but I am thinking of taking a BMW i3 from Wellington to Palmerston North and back. This is the one with extender. Can I do it without charging and/or are there charging stations in PN I could use for a few hours while I am there?

It would be an interesting drive :-)

The i3 should be able to make it almost all the way to Palmy on battery alone. Especially if you drive carefully.

There should be a DC fast charging station on The Square soon.....but I don't know if the BMW i3 can fast charge. Check "plugshare" (app or web site) for charging options around Palmy. For NZ, Plugshare is the most comprehensive. It also includes most caravan parks with 16amp blue caravan power points. Supposedly an i3 can fully charge from an L2 / 240v power point in a couple of hours, but I don't know if that's 16amp or 32 amp. A UK LEAF would take 3-4 hours (from almost empty) on a 32amp power point...and a Japan LEAF would take 7-8 hours as it can only charge at 16amp. For the i3 to fully charge in 2 hours either the battery is smaller or the charger faster.

The climb out of Wellington will chew up your battery unless you find a big, slow truck and follow it up the hills. This is easier than just going really slowly all by yourself. :-) It really makes a difference to power usage. Booting it up the Ngauranga Gorge at 100kph will see your battery drop quickly. Doing the same with a petrol car gets the same result, but people tend not to think about the money they are tossing out the window as they go. Top rule: accelerate slowly. Most people have trouble with this. It's worth practicing. It save HUGE amounts of power (just like a petrol car).

From Pukerua Bay northward you should be fine. The only thing to watch out for then will be the wind. A strong headwind can also eat your power....just like in a petrol car. You can save power by finding a big truck to trail - 30m-40m back at 90kph...and you'll be amazed at how this reduces wind resistance and extends your battery range. Works exactly the same for a petrol car, but we're back to tossing cash out the window there again as far most people driving petrol cars goes. :-)

Let us know how you go!

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Linuxluver

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#1646994 6-Oct-2016 22:58

Monthly EV stats are out. Looks like we have 1,902 EVs in NZ as of September 30.

We're already more than 1,000 EVs more than 12 months ago (835).

New BEVs (battery electric vehicles) have doubled and used BEVs have more than trebled in the past 12 months.

The numbers are running totals. To see how many were sold in one month, subtract the previous month's number from it. So 350 in month B substracting 325 in Month A = 25 cars sold in Month B.

EV stats for NZ to end September 2016

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lchiu7

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#1647054 7-Oct-2016 08:55

Linuxluver:

lchiu7:

Slightly OT but I am thinking of taking a BMW i3 from Wellington to Palmerston North and back. This is the one with extender. Can I do it without charging and/or are there charging stations in PN I could use for a few hours while I am there?

It would be an interesting drive :-)

The i3 should be able to make it almost all the way to Palmy on battery alone. Especially if you drive carefully.

There should be a DC fast charging station on The Square soon.....but I don't know if the BMW i3 can fast charge. Check "plugshare" (app or web site) for charging options around Palmy. For NZ, Plugshare is the most comprehensive. It also includes most caravan parks with 16amp blue caravan power points. Supposedly an i3 can fully charge from an L2 / 240v power point in a couple of hours, but I don't know if that's 16amp or 32 amp. A UK LEAF would take 3-4 hours (from almost empty) on a 32amp power point...and a Japan LEAF would take 7-8 hours as it can only charge at 16amp. For the i3 to fully charge in 2 hours either the battery is smaller or the charger faster.

The climb out of Wellington will chew up your battery unless you find a big, slow truck and follow it up the hills. This is easier than just going really slowly all by yourself. :-) It really makes a difference to power usage. Booting it up the Ngauranga Gorge at 100kph will see your battery drop quickly. Doing the same with a petrol car gets the same result, but people tend not to think about the money they are tossing out the window as they go. Top rule: accelerate slowly. Most people have trouble with this. It's worth practicing. It save HUGE amounts of power (just like a petrol car).

From Pukerua Bay northward you should be fine. The only thing to watch out for then will be the wind. A strong headwind can also eat your power....just like in a petrol car. You can save power by finding a big truck to trail - 30m-40m back at 90kph...and you'll be amazed at how this reduces wind resistance and extends your battery range. Works exactly the same for a petrol car, but we're back to tossing cash out the window there again as far most people driving petrol cars goes. :-)

Let us know how you go!

Thanks for that. I haven't driven it much so when does the petrol generator kick in? But I hear what you say - it's very tempting to plant boot as it's very peppy and makes those in the ICE's alongside on the motorway quite surprised :-)

PN iSite are supposed to have a charger but when I called they said it was couple of weeks away but the site is ready. Plugshare shows one in the holiday park but that doesn't look convenient since I plan to have meetings in the CBD,

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#1647081 7-Oct-2016 09:26

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/news/85061582/tesla-confirmed-for-nz-launch-in-early2017

Looks like Tesla are going to Jump the ditch next year,

Should help the top end of the market, especially for those not willing to grey market them from OZ......

robjg63

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#1647141 7-Oct-2016 10:58

Will be interesting to see what sort of price they are when officially sold here. We always seem to pay quite a premium for being a small market.

Someone told me recently that it cost you an extra $30k on top of the australian price tag to get one to NZ.

Freight and NZ gst being pretty steep. I would have thought maybe you could claim back the AU gst though - would you get slammed twice?

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MikeB4

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#1647142 7-Oct-2016 10:59

Review of the 2017 BMW i3. It gets 8.5/10, impressive.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/487900/2017-bmw-i3-94ah-review/

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

jarledb

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#1647160 7-Oct-2016 11:33

robjg63:

Will be interesting to see what sort of price they are when officially sold here. We always seem to pay quite a premium for being a small market.

Someone told me recently that it cost you an extra $30k on top of the australian price tag to get one to NZ.

Freight and NZ gst being pretty steep. I would have thought maybe you could claim back the AU gst though - would you get slammed twice?

I doubt it will be more expensive than in Australia. The price (excluding taxes) in Australia for the Model S 60D is 114,660 NZD. In the US its around $99,000 NZD (excluding tax incentives).

I would be very surprised if the price for the Model S would be any different in NZ than in Australia when they start selling them here.

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wellygary

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#1647169 7-Oct-2016 11:35

MikeB4:

Review of the 2017 BMW i3. It gets 8.5/10, impressive.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/487900/2017-bmw-i3-94ah-review/

"Introduced locally during in 2014, the BMW i3 has been a successful venture into electric motoring for the company with over 250 sold in Australia over the past two years (a mix of full electric and range extender models).

So this must make to 90 odd i3s sold in NZ positively spectacular, (total BMW electric registrations are 103, and there are a few i8s) ...

from a population 5 times small and less wealthier....

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#1647191 7-Oct-2016 11:38

The Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and new Renault Zoe are perfect for City driving, and short trips, but at the moment that's (as far as I can tell) that's all they are good for.

These mentioned EV's aren't really designed to pack a family of 4 into, with luggage, and go away on a holiday road trip. For that, you'd need a second vehicle, either traditional ICE, hybrid or a expensive Telsa. And that's great if you can afford to run 2 cars. Not everyone can.

And now for a question. Or two.

The EV charging station that exist around the country, are these free, or do you have to pay a small fee to use them?

If they are free to charge, and as more and more EV's take to the roads, do you see them continuing to be free to use?

If they are free, the EV driver may not be paying, but somebody is. So if EV's become more and more popular, and say a big retail complex like Queensgate Hutt City (who for arguments sake has 1000 car parking spaces) converts 10% of these to EV charging spots I doubt they'd continue to be free parking.

And my final question, is NZ infrastructure in place to support a growing EV fleet? Say in 10 years time the EV fleet is around 40,000 vehicles (maybe a bit unrealistic) and they are being used for commuting, are we producing enough electricity to support a large volume of demand at peak times?

wellygary

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#1647202 7-Oct-2016 11:54

WyleECoyoteNZ:

The Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and new Renault Zoe are perfect for City driving, and short trips, but at the moment that's (as far as I can tell) that's all they are good for.

These mentioned EV's aren't really designed to pack a family of 4 into, with luggage, and go away on a holiday road trip. For that, you'd need a second vehicle, either traditional ICE, hybrid or a expensive Telsa. And that's great if you can afford to run 2 cars. Not everyone can.

And now for a question. Or two.

The EV charging station that exist around the country, are these free, or do you have to pay a small fee to use them?

If they are free to charge, and as more and more EV's take to the roads, do you see them continuing to be free to use?

If they are free, the EV driver may not be paying, but somebody is. So if EV's become more and more popular, and say a big retail complex like Queensgate Hutt City (who for arguments sake has 1000 car parking spaces) converts 10% of these to EV charging spots I doubt they'd continue to be free parking.

And my final question, is NZ infrastructure in place to support a growing EV fleet? Say in 10 years time the EV fleet is around 40,000 vehicles (maybe a bit unrealistic) and they are being used for commuting, are we producing enough electricity to support a large volume of demand at peak times?

A number of the EV chargers are free, but the largest single provider (charge net) it is pay for service.

Currently EVS are a very small minority of vehiclse (2,000) and even in Simon Bridges most wild dreams he only expects 60,000 by 2021 - which would be about 2% of the car fleet,

Retail operators (like malls) are putting in chargers bacause it is a good way to attract EV owners who, based on the prices of EVs) tend to have higher than average incomes...

MikeAqua

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#1647216 7-Oct-2016 12:05

wellygary:

MikeB4:

Review of the 2017 BMW i3. It gets 8.5/10, impressive.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/487900/2017-bmw-i3-94ah-review/

"Introduced locally during in 2014, the BMW i3 has been a successful venture into electric motoring for the company with over 250 sold in Australia over the past two years (a mix of full electric and range extender models).

So this must make to 90 odd i3s sold in NZ positively spectacular, (total BMW electric registrations are 103, and there are a few i8s) ...

from a population 5 times small and less wealthier....

Distances are greater in Aussie, unless you are right in town, in which case there is normally good public transport.

Mike

WyleECoyoteNZ

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#1647223 7-Oct-2016 12:17

wellygary:

WyleECoyoteNZ:

The Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and new Renault Zoe are perfect for City driving, and short trips, but at the moment that's (as far as I can tell) that's all they are good for.

These mentioned EV's aren't really designed to pack a family of 4 into, with luggage, and go away on a holiday road trip. For that, you'd need a second vehicle, either traditional ICE, hybrid or a expensive Telsa. And that's great if you can afford to run 2 cars. Not everyone can.

And now for a question. Or two.

The EV charging station that exist around the country, are these free, or do you have to pay a small fee to use them?

If they are free to charge, and as more and more EV's take to the roads, do you see them continuing to be free to use?

If they are free, the EV driver may not be paying, but somebody is. So if EV's become more and more popular, and say a big retail complex like Queensgate Hutt City (who for arguments sake has 1000 car parking spaces) converts 10% of these to EV charging spots I doubt they'd continue to be free parking.

And my final question, is NZ infrastructure in place to support a growing EV fleet? Say in 10 years time the EV fleet is around 40,000 vehicles (maybe a bit unrealistic) and they are being used for commuting, are we producing enough electricity to support a large volume of demand at peak times?

A number of the EV chargers are free, but the largest single provider (charge net) it is pay for service.

Currently EVS are a very small minority of vehiclse (2,000) and even in Simon Bridges most wild dreams he only expects 60,000 by 2021 - which would be about 2% of the car fleet,

Retail operators (like malls) are putting in chargers bacause it is a good way to attract EV owners who, based on the prices of EVs) tend to have higher than average incomes...

Agree.

However, from a Retail operator's point of view having 1,2 or half a dozen charging points isn't really going to increase your costs a lot at the moment, as there are few EV's around. If the retail operator makes 10% (as an example) of there parking spots charging stations, and these are consistently in use, this will be a noticeable increase in cost, and you can bet that cost will be passed on.

EV's are an attractive proposition at the moment due to the low operating costs, but I can't see this remaining that way.

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