EV (electric vehicle) News and Discussion

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#1734919 11-Mar-2017 17:45

morrisk:

You can go to the Tesla NZ website and configure your car - as you do so you will see all the info like range and cost and estimated delivery. All looks very promising except for the prices which need to come down before most can afford them

And the price will come down with the Model 3. Thats the one I am waiting for. Did not go all in with a pre-order, but fully expect there to be Model 3s available when I am ready to get rid of my 2011 Toyota Avensis.

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#1734945 11-Mar-2017 18:28

MikeB4: Norway hits 50% EV fleet

http://www.wheeltalk.co.nz/news/norway-running-50-evs

50% of New Registration are plug in cars. (17.6% or registrations are Pure Electric cars).

Fleet mix lags behind new registrations. Latest figures I could find put 5% of the fleet as plug in cars. Still super impressive.

jarledb:

old3eyes:

Interesting "While cars with combustion engines are heavily taxed, EVs are exempt from almost all taxes." Wonder how much a new Leaf costs there??

A new Leaf (24 KWH) starts about about $34,000 NZD. Cars are expensive in Norway, so that is a cheap price for a car that size.

The 30 KWH model of the Leaf starts at about $38,000 NZD. You can get a used Leaf from $15,000 NZD (2012 model with about 92,000 KM on the meter).

"Norway has some of the world’s most generous incentives for electric vehicle buyers. Electric cars are exempt from value added tax (VAT) and purchase tax, which on average in Norway add 50% to the cost of a vehicle. They are also exempt from road tolls, tunnel-use charges, and ferry charges. And they get free parking, free charging, and the freedom to use bus lanes.

It seems silly to not buy an electric car. So Norwegians have. In droves. As a result, the incentives are now being rolled back."

For the high performance cars that tesla competes against, Sales taxes can exceed 100%....

Norway now has so many EV's, it is slowly removing back the incentives (bus lanes for example have become completly clogged with EV's). That said, Norway has the goal of having 100% of registrations as zero emission vehicles by 2025, So I would say the days of buying a fossil fuel powered car in norway are numbered (Either by an outright ban, or due to even more massive tax costs).

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#1735157 12-Mar-2017 11:33

A bunch of interesting news from Electrek

https://electrek.co/

"This week’s top stories: Tesla Model 3, Autopilot 2.0, Gigafactory battery production, Detroit Electric, next-gen Nissan LEAF, & more"

"Tesla’s Rangers get a new look, now called ‘Tesla Mobile Service’ – First Look"

"NIO unveils new self-driving electric car concept, says they’ll have autonomous cars in the US by 2020"

"Tesla to ‘add 300 body shops to its network in the next few weeks’, says Tesla President"

"Tesla’s new longest range vehicle (100D) is being held back until EPA approval"

"Audi plans to release an electric sports car and electric compact after the quattro e-tron SUV"

"Tesla Model 3: rare prototype sighting near SpaceX"

"Nissan says it will unveil next-gen LEAF with 200+ miles of range in September, ship it soon after"

"Evoke’s ~$10,000 electric motorcycle built by iPhone-maker Foxconn is coming to the US"

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#1736436 14-Mar-2017 17:56

frednz:

Can you tell us what Tesla models are available in NZ now and what they retail for?

Also, do you think second hand Renault Zoe 41kWh vehicles can be serviced now by Renault dealers throughout NZ, or do they require specialist parts etc that would not be readily available?

Thanks

Fred

I'm talking about going forward, Fred. Today....you get the best EV you can afford that meets your needs from whatever company. But be ready in case they backslide. Have a Plan B.

If you only need 100km / day - a fair amount of driving, really - then a $14,000 Nissan LEAF Gen 1 wou;d be great. Plus you can always fast-charge it to get another 100km if you need to provided you're in a town with at least one fast charger.

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#1736470 14-Mar-2017 19:22

kingdragonfly: A bunch of interesting news from Electrek

https://electrek.co/

"Nissan says it will unveil next-gen LEAF with 200+ miles of range in September, ship it soon after"

its is being speculated it will have 60Kwh Battery, which if correct would match the Bolt ( which is certified at 238 Miles )

THis is close to 400km and would allow an Auckland Wellington trip with just a single top up in somewhere like Turangi.....

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#1736649 15-Mar-2017 08:50

wellygary:

kingdragonfly: A bunch of interesting news from Electrek

https://electrek.co/

"Nissan says it will unveil next-gen LEAF with 200+ miles of range in September, ship it soon after"

its is being speculated it will have 60Kwh Battery, which if correct would match the Bolt ( which is certified at 238 Miles )

THis is close to 400km and would allow an Auckland Wellington trip with just a single top up in somewhere like Turangi.....

The 60kWh battery will take longer to charge (an hour?) at the prevailing 50kw DC fast charging rate......but it's a problem I'd love to have.

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#1743132 18-Mar-2017 02:32

This is an interesting test of battery guarantees, done by the consumer protection office in Norway.

Hopefully the Google translation will make sense.

Tesla gets last place, while VW gets first place for 8 years/160,000 KM warranty with no requirement for services of the battery.

Nissan Leaf ends up at the 8th place with their 30 KWH model because they demand regular service of the battery for the warranty to be in effect. The 24 KWH model of Leaf gets worse results for only giving 5 year/100,000 KM warranty.

Here is the table as a PDF (in Norwegian)

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#1743134 18-Mar-2017 04:10

jarledb:

This is an interesting test of battery guarantees, done by the consumer protection office in Norway.

Hopefully the Google translation will make sense.

Tesla gets last place, while VW gets first place for 8 years/160,000 KM warranty with no requirement for services of the battery.

Nissan Leaf ends up at the 8th place with their 30 KWH model because they demand regular service of the battery for the warranty to be in effect. The 24 KWH model of Leaf gets worse results for only giving 5 year/100,000 KM warranty.

Here is the table as a PDF (in Norwegian)

Talking about batteries... how long do they last if you're doing 30-40KM a day?

Will a battery go the distance to 230-300,000K's (16 years old) like my previous petrol cars? Or am I replacing a battery along the way?

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#1743582 18-Mar-2017 22:12

kiwirock:

jarledb:

This is an interesting test of battery guarantees, done by the consumer protection office in Norway.

Hopefully the Google translation will make sense.

Tesla gets last place, while VW gets first place for 8 years/160,000 KM warranty with no requirement for services of the battery.

Nissan Leaf ends up at the 8th place with their 30 KWH model because they demand regular service of the battery for the warranty to be in effect. The 24 KWH model of Leaf gets worse results for only giving 5 year/100,000 KM warranty.

Here is the table as a PDF (in Norwegian)

Talking about batteries... how long do they last if you're doing 30-40KM a day?

Will a battery go the distance to 230-300,000K's (16 years old) like my previous petrol cars? Or am I replacing a battery along the way?

12v batteries tend to die every 2-3 years. If you have a 16yo 12V battery working in a vehicle, DO NOT replace it......it's successor won't last as long.

The oldest production electric cars are only just now hitting 6 years. The first generation of Nissan LEAF batteries have not stood up as well as people might have hoped, but most of them are still at least 75% of original capacity and fit the needs of many looking for a "cheap' second hand EV.

Later models have a much more robust batteries...The best known is a taxi for C&C Taxis in the UK. They retired it at 293,000km with 76% of original capacity after more than 13,000 charging cycles in 3.5 years.

The initial evidence suggest the large-battery cars, like the Tesla Model S, are holding up very well. This is mainly because it is much less likley those large batteries are fully cycled frequently. Most people just do not drive 400km every day. James Cooke in the UK has a 4 year old Tesla Model S that is still on 96% of original capacity and - he says - in practical terms he has seen no range reduction.

Battery tech is now even better. It will continue to improve.

IT's not if.....it's when. For me, when arrived in June 2016......and I'm over the moon with my current EV (NIssan LEAF 2016 30kWh). It's a year old and the battery is still 100% of original capacity. If anything, it seems to be getting better as the "AHr" (amp hours) measure continues to slowly rise.....whereas if the battery were degrading it would be going down. I am using the car more than the previous owner (UK demo model) did....and the battery seems to be very happy about that.

But even if the battery were - over several years - to decline to 80% of original capacity, at that point it would still have the range of a brand new 24kWh LEAF......which would still be more than enough to drive from Kaitaia to Bluff on the charging network that will exist in the future.

Though.....you ask a good question. Can we just get a new battery? It's possible to get a new battery in Japan or the US today for about US$5500. That turns an old car into a new car....because there seems to be very little in the way of wear and tear in the other components. EVs are SO MUCH simpler than ICE cars.....

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#1743584 18-Mar-2017 22:20

A new fast charger became operational today in Hamilton (East).

It may not seem like much but this charger is just that wee bit closer to Taupo that it should be possible for a 30kWh Nissan LEAF to drive from Auckland to Taupo with only one charge on the way there.....at this charger.

This charger, like the other WEL chargers in Raglan, Te Rapa and Te Kauwhata, also supports 43kw AC charging with a Type 2 connector.....used by the Renault Zoe and others. CCS Type 1 and CHAdeMO - both at 50kw - are also supported.

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#1743590 18-Mar-2017 22:26

What sort of socket did you have to have installed for charging? 16 or 32A etc...?

I've only briefly read up on the Leaf as I'm debating it for the next car. Obviously range would be less with a 400KG teardrop in tow.

I've read about level 1,2,3 charging etc... In NZ is 230v charging the equivalent of level 2 charging in the USA? It seems to look that way.

The earlier leafs, how long do they take to charge at 230V? I'm assuming the 21 hour thing in the states is only those using 110V or is that using a 230V supply?

Is the power source for the lights and electronics from the main lithium battery or does that all come from a 12V deep cycle? I usually have a 12V P3 brake controller and bypass relay unit for the wiring installed that require a 12V feed. I don't know about sourcing 12V from a 12V battery to run trailer lights etc... So I'm guessing the lighting system comes from a regulated supply from the main battery?

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#1743591 18-Mar-2017 22:28

We have a fast charger in the main retail street down here in Invercargill. What are the charging equipment plugs and sockets like in the rain or outside for the night charging?

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#1743593 18-Mar-2017 22:40

kiwirock:

What sort of socket did you have to have installed for charging? 16 or 32A etc...?

I've only briefly read up on the Leaf as I'm debating it for the next car. Obviously range would be less with a 400KG teardrop in tow.

I've read about level 1,2,3 charging etc... In NZ is 230v charging the equivalent of level 2 charging in the USA? It seems to look that way.

The earlier leafs, how long do they take to charge at 230V? I'm assuming the 21 hour thing in the states is only those using 110V or is that using a 230V supply?

Is the power source for the lights and electronics from the main lithium battery or does that all come from a 12V deep cycle? I usually have a 12V P3 brake controller and bypass relay unit for the wiring installed that require a 12V feed. I don't know about sourcing 12V from a 12V battery to run trailer lights etc... So I'm guessing the lighting system comes from a regulated supply from the main battery?

When I had a LEAF sourced from Japan, I had a 16amp blue commando plug installed at the house. There was no point getting 32amp as the Japanese LEAFs almost exclusively have 3.3kw AC internal chargers (16amp). That's because Japan has well over 14,000 DC fast chargers. More of them than petrol stations.

My current LEAF is from the UK and there they tend to include the 6.6kw AC internal charger as standard. At our 'new' (old) house, I've had a 32amp Type 2 ROLEC (brand name) 'WallPod" installed.....so I can charge my LEAF at 6.6kw (or about 24% / hour).

So I have both. My next EV might require me to fork out for 3-phase. :-)

Yes... "L1" is 110v US. Doesn't exist here. We are all L2 by default. Charging at 10amp adds about 12% / hour. But there is - I'm told - a regulation that says EV shouldn't charge at more than 8amp (from a 3112 household power point) in case the wiring isn't up to it. NO HOUSES HAVE BURNT DOWN due to people charging at 10amp...and most do....so I'm assuming someone somewhere was just keeping themselves busy with that reg. L3 is DC fast charging.....

The main battery is used fro traction. Pretty much everything else comes from the 12v. The 12v itself is kept charged by the main traction battery when the car is on and 'in gear'. It is also charged when the car is plugged in and charging.

As I understand it - and you would need to check - the 12v does most of the things in a LEAF that s 12v battery does in any other car.....including start the car. If the 12v goes flat, you can't start your LEAF even if the main battery is full. That would be a case of the 12v battery actually being dead....as it wouldn't be flat if it was in good condition.

You you make any mods to that for trailers shuold be fairly straightforward.....but you would need to talk to someone like Carl Barlev at Blue Cars (a LEAF rental agency and servicing company).

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#1743597 18-Mar-2017 22:50

kiwirock:

We have a fast charger in the main retail street down here in Invercargill. What are the charging equipment plugs and sockets like in the rain or outside for the night charging?

No problem. You can charge in the pouring rain. BTW, I'll be in Invercargill on April 18th/19th for the start of the Leading the Charge tour to Cape Reinga.

It is best to charge at home under some kind of cover.....if only for you own comfort.

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#1743606 18-Mar-2017 23:18

I've installed one of these units at our house in Opotiki.

It's a ROLEC "Wallpod". They come in a variety of configurations, with or without an integrated charging cable and relevant connector for your EV.

In my case, I got a cable-less version with a Type 2 "Mennekes" socket. The user supplies their own cable and can happily use the wall pod as long as they have a type 2 to whatever cable for their car.

My wallpod is single-phase, 32amp. It can charge a Nissan LEAF from 20% to 100% in about 3 hours. Most people would only charge to 80% unless planning a longer trip, so the effective charging up time is closer to 2 hours for most purposes. That's pretty quick.

My unit was $832 incl GST from YHI.co.nz.

This photo is of my Wallpod. The coffee mug is for scale. It's a tidy, wee unit. Not having a cable integrated prevent having a black cable dangling off the side of the house. :-)

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