EV (electric vehicle) News & Discussion

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › EV (electric vehicle) News & Discussion

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#3305545 5-Nov-2024 13:08

alasta:

In a typical year I would do the following leisure trips to and from Wellington:

New Plymouth
Nelson
Napier
Taupo
Hanmer Springs
Christchurch
I also did a trip to Warbirds Over Wanaka this year.

Beyond that my car only gets used once or twice a week to do the groceries or take the dogs out. I walk/run or take the bus for most of my daily transport. It's also worth noting that I can't charge an electric car at home.

I don't know how typical my usage is, but it is disingenuous for electric vehicle owners to suggest that everyone has a perfect use case.

Below is a map showing the locations I've had my EV over the past year based on its telemetry. I'm based in Palmy and have been to every location stated in your list, except for Wanaka. Even took it round the power generation lakes (Benmore/Aviemore etc), and to the Mt. Cook village, unfortuantely Mt. Cook was clouded in (see other pic).

I had no issues at all with charging along the way, with no extra time spent waiting for the car to charge. EV's are absolutely viable options for long distance running, with most decent charging spots around the country being within 100km of each other.

The lack of charging at home changes things though, as this is where the majority of the cost savings and convenience comes from, however your use-case is perfect for an EV.

Dingbatt

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#3305595 5-Nov-2024 15:02

I bought my Model 3 in 2022 having started the search for a replacement for my Camry Hybrid in 2021. I looked specifically at PHEVs, which had 20-50km of EV range. At the time the vehicle I came very close to buying was the Ford Escape PHEV. Two things stopped me in the end. It only had 50km EV range and the return journey to work is 70km (no facility to charge at work), and once government rebates and the trade in offers were taken into consideration, there was only a $2000 difference between the Escape and a Model 3.

Fast forward 3 years and my friendly neighbourhood Ford salesman contacted me to say there was a new model Escape out and did I want to have a look? There are only HEV and PHEV versions available now (I think). It is essentially just a facelift and a hike in price.

While looking, I asked why I would buy the Escape PHEV ahead of the BYD Sealion 6, which is $4000 cheaper, is AWD, is better appointed and has double the EV range? He didn’t really have an answer. I guess he could have brought up that the Escape has a spare wheel.
It’s got me thinking though. What would the ideal EV range of a PHEV be for my use case? 80-100km would seem a fair compromise between utility and weight.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

richms

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#3305601 5-Nov-2024 15:17

Dingbatt:
It’s got me thinking though. What would the ideal EV range of a PHEV be for my use case? 80-100km would seem a fair compromise between utility and weight.

The BYD ute at 80k is below what I would accept for a PHEVs range. I would like to see 200ish as that would almost totally eliminate the use of the petrol.

Richard rich.ms

Mehrts

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#3305616 5-Nov-2024 15:43

richms:
The BYD ute at 80k is below what I would accept for a PHEVs range. I would like to see 200ish as that would almost totally eliminate the use of the petrol.

But then if you're "totally eliminating the use of petrol" due to such a decent electric-only range, why not then just opt for a pure EV?

jonathan18

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#3305621 5-Nov-2024 15:49

Mehrts:
richms:
The BYD ute at 80k is below what I would accept for a PHEVs range. I would like to see 200ish as that would almost totally eliminate the use of the petrol.

But then if you're "totally eliminating the use of petrol" due to such a decent electric-only range, why not then just opt for a pure EV?

You missed that qualifier - ‘almost totally eliminate’!

But, yeah, when the EV-only range of a PHEV is at that point (well over twice that of our Leaf by the time we sold it!) I don’t see the value of carting around a heavy ICE and the fuel it needs…

richms

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#3305622 5-Nov-2024 15:52

Mehrts:

richms:
The BYD ute at 80k is below what I would accept for a PHEVs range. I would like to see 200ish as that would almost totally eliminate the use of the petrol.

But then if you're "totally eliminating the use of petrol" due to such a decent electric-only range, why not then just opt for a pure EV?

Because that would cover most days usage being totally on EV for a majority of tradies, with the petrol there for the longer journey days. If it was to be pure EV then it would need to be in the 350 range like a car.

Richard rich.ms

Handsomedan

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#3305624 5-Nov-2024 16:02

I'm still not sold on PHEV's, with their relatively miserly range - HEV's seem the sweet spot at the moment, based on a few things, but I do like the idea of 200km EV range in a PHEV.
That would leave most journeys being EV only, but with zero range anxiety as if travelling anywhere that there's not easy access to charging, there's always easy access to gas for the ICE.

I'd love a good, well-appointed AWD PHEV Ute with 200km range EV and a decent, torquey ICE motor for longer journeys or when the charge is low.

*Edit: having just read about the BYD Shark, I quite like the look of it. Especially as the ICE motor charges the battery on the go, so you end up with the best of both worlds. I like the look, too.

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jarledb

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#3305626 5-Nov-2024 16:07

richms:

Because that would cover most days usage being totally on EV for a majority of tradies, with the petrol there for the longer journey days. If it was to be pure EV then it would need to be in the 350 range like a car.

Just be aware if you buy a PHEV that is doing 99.9% of its driving on electricity, your petrol will go off at some point.

Storage life for petrol is about 1 year.

EDIT: Oh its much worse. In ideal storage it is 1 year, in your tank somewhere between a month and 6 months.

Source: BP.

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Handsomedan

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#3305629 5-Nov-2024 16:14

jarledb:

richms:

Because that would cover most days usage being totally on EV for a majority of tradies, with the petrol there for the longer journey days. If it was to be pure EV then it would need to be in the 350 range like a car.

Just be aware if you buy a PHEV that is doing 99.9% of its driving on electricity, your petrol will go off at some point.

Storage life for petrol is about 1 year.

EDIT: Oh its much worse. In ideal storage it is 1 year, in your tank somewhere between a month and 6 months.

Source: BP.

Wow - that's something many people simply wouldn't know. IN saying that - the Shark 6 uses the ICE as a generator, so the fuel will be used over time. Whether it's used in enoug time remains to be seen.

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richms

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#3305636 5-Nov-2024 16:25

jarledb:

Just be aware if you buy a PHEV that is doing 99.9% of its driving on electricity, your petrol will go off at some point.

Storage life for petrol is about 1 year.

EDIT: Oh its much worse. In ideal storage it is 1 year, in your tank somewhere between a month and 6 months.

Source: BP.

That will be for the US fuel where its crap that is topped up with butane and other volatiles that leave very quickly.

Everything I never drive, my generators without vented caps, my stash of fuel for the generators that I have because I dont put enough into the ICE cars to keep it cycled and fresh are all just perfectly fine.

Richard rich.ms

morrisk

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#3305760 6-Nov-2024 07:14

Handsomedan:

I think as I have come from a standard ICE Hybrid (non Plug In) my expectations are somewhat different to the average EV driver.

Also, the fact that I didn't choose to go fully electric is a consideration too. There's a certain amount of mental resistance there from the outset.

But I stick to my original statement that for the average driver, the convenience and infrastructure is not yet there.
The fact that there are "rules" around what should and shouldn't be done at a public charger (of which there are too few) when on a long trip - "don't charge over 80%", "Don't top it right off before your next leg, you only need enough to get home" etc proves the point - coming from ICE, where you simply rock up, fill up and move on, it's a whole lot of learning, compromise and hassle.
My experience was admittedly over a long weekend and was a specific case, but it was neither convenient, nor intuitive.

With that said - for my normal weekly driving, I use my home charger and it's probably used once a week if not maybe twice. Only if I know I'll be doing more mileage will I top it up to 100% the night before.
The home charger is pretty slow, but it's cheap and I get reimbursed as it's a company car. That part doesn't bother me in the slightest - in fact I really like having a gas station at home.

The choice of actual vehicle though...yeah, nah. I wouldn't ever buy an Atto3. The least comfortable car I have ever had. It also has many compromises and design fails for my liking.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

The introduction of EVs is all about trying to mitigate the impact of climate change.

The change is not easy and comes with a number of "hassles and compromises" when you are used to using an ICE vehicle.

However the inconvenience hassle that we are experiencing with the impact of climate change today is far far greater. Spain being the most recent example. Not to mention cost.

I have been driving an EV for nearly 9 years now and there have been inconveniences and adjustments to make but these are outweighed by the pleasure of driving an EV - quiet and responsive. Not to mention the contribution to decreasing CO2.

In Wellington the decrease in noise and fumes coming from buses along Lambton Quay is very noticeable now that the bus fleet is increasingly electric.

The sooner we transition completely the better - Norway seems to be leading here and they do not seem to be finding the transition a great problem.

sen8or

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#3305761 6-Nov-2024 07:50

Not that its particularly relevant to most EV drivers, but the new MG Cyberster is now showing up in dealerships. It looks much better in the flesh than it does in pictures and with performance figures slightly quicker than the XPower, it will surely be a fun drive. $130k is a big ask for a MG, but if we do start to see some of the other higher end EV offerings from China (e.g. Zeekr) then it won't be a price outlier for too long.

https://www.mgcyberster.co.uk/

Dingbatt

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#3305762 6-Nov-2024 08:13

I guess it’s as relevant as the eTron GT, Taycan, iX, i5, i7 and any other of $100K+ EVs that show what is possible. I look with envy at what is available in bigger LHD markets.

The Cyberster is not a daily driver. It is a “look at me” vehicle that is probably fun to drive, particularly with the top down.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

SaltyNZ

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#3305765 6-Nov-2024 08:41

Still don't know whether that's supposed to be pronounced Cyber-stir or Sigh-burster. I like to think the latter.

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exador

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#3307790 11-Nov-2024 16:38

SaltyNZ:

Still don't know whether that's supposed to be pronounced Cyber-stir or Sigh-burster. I like to think the latter.

Same as roadster, prankster, gangster, hipster, master, sister...

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