NZ's Cheapest EV This Week: $9,850

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Linuxluver

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#207462 27-Dec-2016 15:54

I'm thinking this thread might be useful for documenting and discussing the affordability of electric cars. A lot of people think they are expensive. That word will mean different things to different people.

The value equation of an EV is a bit different to a normal car because:

1. You don't have to buy any petrol.
2. Service / maintenance costs tend to be much lower because the stuff that breaks in normal car doesn't even exist in an EV (eg: radiator, any of the various belts, air and oil filters, oil changes not required, no gearbox, no transmission fluid...etc...etc..)

So...how much does an EV cost? What is the CHEAPEST?

TradeMe can help here, I guess.

Today, the cheapest EV on TradeMe with a Buy Now price is a Gen 1 2011 Nissan LEAF with 10 battery bars out of 12 (so range about 90km-120km depending on terrain and driving style)........for $12,999.

You might find one cheaper via private sale....but this would be a great city car at the very least...and perfectly usable for longer trips in an area where fast chargers were less than 80km apart......which covers more and more of the country every day.

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#1695421 27-Dec-2016 16:20

I have been considering the electric car - what is the running cost (ie battery service/general service/frequence) etc.

I see that the Leaf with 30kwh battery is still over $30k

Linuxluver

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#1695450 27-Dec-2016 16:43

nakedmolerat:

I have been considering the electric car - what is the running cost (ie battery service/general service/frequence) etc.

I see that the Leaf with 30kwh battery is still over $30k

That's a hard question to answer. Most Nissan LEAFs I know of require nothing more than warrant checks and occasional new tires. A new 12v battery (runs car dash stuff like a normal car) may be required every 2-3 years....depends on the battery.

There isn't really any such thing as "regular service" because the stuff that is regularly serviced in 'normal' cars doesn't exist in the LEAF.

- No coolant to check (no radiator or fan)
- no belts (fan, alternator or cam)
- no oil to change and no oil filter (no oil because no pistons or combustion)
- No transmission fluid to check (no gearbox - the engine drives the axle directly from 0kw to 80kw).
- No spark plugs, distributor cap or air filter (because no combustion).

You may need to get the brake fluid checked every couple of years to ensure water hasn't infiltrated and reduced the effectiveness of the brakes. But in a LEAF / EV you use the brake a lot less anyway because regen / engine braking does most of the slowing down unless you need to stop really fast.

Service costs are much lower than for a normal car. There is a lot less stuff in an EV to break or wear out. Recently I've seen articles speculating that the Nissan LEAF, in particular, may be among the most reliable cars ever made.

These features are common to all EVs that are purely battery electric. A PHEV will have both a battery and a conventional petrol engine so there is more than can go wrong with those.

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mattwnz

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#1695489 27-Dec-2016 18:21

One thing to consider when building a home is, to build in a charging port in your garage for an EV. Not sure what the exactly requirements are, but am guessing it will need to run on a 30 amp circuit to enable a quicker charge.

nakedmolerat

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#1695515 27-Dec-2016 19:05

@Linuxluver:

That's a hard question to answer. Most Nissan LEAFs I know of require nothing more than warrant checks and occasional new tires. A new 12v battery (runs car dash stuff like a normal car) may be required every 2-3 years....depends on the battery.

There isn't really any such thing as "regular service" because the stuff that is regularly serviced in 'normal' cars doesn't exist in the LEAF.

- No coolant to check (no radiator or fan)
- no belts (fan, alternator or cam)
- no oil to change and no oil filter (no oil because no pistons or combustion)
- No transmission fluid to check (no gearbox - the engine drives the axle directly from 0kw to 80kw).
- No spark plugs, distributor cap or air filter (because no combustion).

You may need to get the brake fluid checked every couple of years to ensure water hasn't infiltrated and reduced the effectiveness of the brakes. But in a LEAF / EV you use the brake a lot less anyway because regen / engine braking does most of the slowing down unless you need to stop really fast.

Service costs are much lower than for a normal car. There is a lot less stuff in an EV to break or wear out. Recently I've seen articles speculating that the Nissan LEAF, in particular, may be among the most reliable cars ever made.

These features are common to all EVs that are purely battery electric. A PHEV will have both a battery and a conventional petrol engine so there is more than can go wrong with those.

Thanks - I get the general idea of electric cars from reading around it.

Since you have one - how much have you spent on it? How much maintenance is required so far?

clinty

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#1695518 27-Dec-2016 19:24

This site seems to have some good, NZ relevant info. Its from an electricity company so the have a horse in the race, but seems pretty straight https://ecotricity.co.nz/electricvehicles/#evinstallation

Clint

Linuxluver

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#1695529 27-Dec-2016 19:53

mattwnz:

One thing to consider when building a home is, to build in a charging port in your garage for an EV. Not sure what the exactly requirements are, but am guessing it will need to run on a 30 amp circuit to enable a quicker charge.

They (Nissan LEAF) charge fine at 8amp or 10amp on a normal power point. I had a dedicated 20amp circuit installed with a Blue Commando plug and I use a 16amp Charge Amps "Spark" charger to charge at 16amp. That lets me add charge at about 12% / hour. I rarely run it below 50%.....that would be over 100km and I don't drive that far around town in a day usually.....even going to Piha and back.

If I need to charge faster I can go around the corner to McDonalds and charge at 50kw DC. That will take me from - say - 20% to 90% in 25 minutes. (The 30kw LEAFs charge faster than the 24kw LEAFS)....Or I can go 300m down the road the other way and charge at 30amp (AC) at Mercury Energy's public charger. On a 30amp charger I can gain 22% / hour.

If you have a Japanese LEAF you can't charge at 30amp anyway as they typically only have a 3.3kw internal AC charger that charges at 15amp max. That's because Japan has over 14,000 DC fast chargers and there it little value in faster AC charging. The UK LEAFS have a 6.6kw AC charging option....and CAN charge at 30amp. It will vary from make to make.

For most people, charging over night on a normal 3112 household power point at 8amp or 10amp is just fine. A LEAF will gain about 8% / hour at 10amp....andif you were only at 50% anyway it will fill the battery up in about 5-6 hours. You don't need to be full anyway unless going on a road trip. Around town starting the day on 50% or whatever is just fine.....that's most of 100km and you can always ad more at a fast charger if you need it. A ten mins charge will add about 30% to the battery.

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Linuxluver

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#1695531 27-Dec-2016 20:01

clinty: This site seems to have some good, NZ relevant info. Its from an electricity company so the have a horse in the race, but seems pretty straight https://ecotricity.co.nz/electricvehicles/#evinstallation

Clint

That's the Barlev brothers. They are EV and eco through and through. They also run Bluecar rentals.....where you can rent an EV instead of an ICEV (Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle).

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Linuxluver

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#1695532 27-Dec-2016 20:02

nakedmolerat:

Since you have one - how much have you spent on it? How much maintenance is required so far?

Zero is the only answer unless you include the microfibre mitten I bought to help wash it.

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Linuxluver

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#1695533 27-Dec-2016 20:06

I found a cheaper 100% EV: A 2010 Mitsubishi i-Miev for $10,850.

Their range is about 80-90km as their battery is fairly small, but the batteries have been holding up extremely well. The people I know who own one say they aren't seeing any reduction in range even after several years. They love the things!

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MadEngineer

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#1695589 27-Dec-2016 23:31

What about ev conversions?

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Linuxluver

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#1695614 28-Dec-2016 07:04

MadEngineer: What about ev conversions?

Definitely a home-grown Kiwi option. The people I know who have done conversions say it costs about $40,000.....and that's including mostly their own free labour and they have the skills (or access to the skills) to get it done. There is a Toyota MR2 around that is a conversion. It looks great. It's range is about 80km.

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NonprayingMantis

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#1695698 28-Dec-2016 10:40

How long before teslas come down in price to something more affordable?

networkn

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#1695758 28-Dec-2016 11:48

Are there any EV SW's or SUV's in NZ? We need way more trunk capacity than a standard sedan (plus have a German Shepherd).

I have been contemplating the idea of an EV or Hybrid for a while though have done next to no research.

tdgeek

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#1695760 28-Dec-2016 11:54

How much power cost is consumed by charging?

How long do the batteries last, before range drop becomes annoying?

As the batteries age, do they retain the same power?

How much is a replacement set of batteries?

huckster

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#1695763 28-Dec-2016 11:59

networkn:

Are there any EV SW's or SUV's in NZ? We need way more trunk capacity than a standard sedan (plus have a German Shepherd).

I have been contemplating the idea of an EV or Hybrid for a while though have done next to no research.

There's the Mitsubishi PHEV. Hybrid.

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