UPDATED: Affordable, 300km plus range EVs (Electric Vehicles) are about to hit Australian showrooms (See table 1). But is there an EV available now or coming soon that will meet your needs? And would changing to an EV actually benefit you and/or the environment?
Why buy an EV?
So yes, we do now have some EV choice in Australia – but why buy an EV at all given they are still more expensive than an equivalent petrol or diesel car?
Well, there are lots of reasons!
First of all they are cheaper to own and run. EV service costs are reduced as they don’t need engine oil, spark plug, filter and timing belt changes like an internal combustion engine (ICE) car.
EVs also have reduced brake wear as a lot of the vehicle’s braking effort is returned to the battery instead of heating (and wearing out) brake parts. Servicing an EV merely involves regular checks of the vehicle and its safety systems with very little needed in the way of ‘consumables’.
In addition, the fuel costs are considerably less – the following example demonstrates this:
Assuming you drive a Renault Zoe EV (quoted as using 133Wh/km) for 10,000km/yr and charge it at night on an off-peak electricity tariff of 19c/kWh:
EV: at 133Wh/km & 19c/kW = $253
ICE: at 8L/100km & 1.50/L (premium fuel) = $1200
Fuel saving: $1200 – $253 = $947
PLUS: Service savings: estimate $250/yr
Total saving (approx.): $1200/yr
Secondly, you get the following environmental benefits over ICE vehicles (and especially diesel ICEs). These include:
When should you consider changing to an EV?
EVs do not yet cover all the range of size, cargo and towing options available as ICEs. However the choice is growing – so looking at the available and soon to come EVs in table 1, Table 2 below summarises when might be the time for you to change to an EV, based on a selection of distance, route and cargo/towing options:
Bryce Gaton is the National Newsletter Editor for the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) and is a qualified secondary science educator as well as a Registered Electrical Contractor and electrical trade teacher. He has been working in the EV sector for 10 years, and currently works part-time for the Melbourne School of Engineering as their EV safe work practice trainer/supervisor. He regularly writes on EV topics for and on behalf of both the AEVA and ATA. Bryce also owns and drives two EVs – a Nissan Leaf for commuting and a converted Citroen van for work.
This post was published on February 28, 2018 9:23 am
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Two other categories of EV to consider are plug-in hybrids and second-hand. Another thing to consider is whether you really need a lot of EV range.
Two car households probably only ever take one of those cars for trips out of town so one can be an EV with modest range. We have a Mitsubishi iMiEV with about 90km of confident range but that is ample for daily commuting and other local trips.
Our long-range car is a second-hand Holden (Chevrolet) Volt (only the first generation was brought to Australia). It gives us 75km of EV range but carries an integrated petrol generator which extends the range as far as it is possible to buy petrol. With these two cars, all our local driving for two drivers is fully electric on the ACT's soon-to-be 100% renewable electricity. Also, the first 75km of any longer trip out of town is also electric. Once we are in the Volt's petrol mode, efficiency is improved by the hybrid design and from regeneration on any downhills. Our Volt was $25k recently in excellent condition. The Volt battery is very well managed by the car for a long life. Our iMiEV is doing pretty well with a little reduction in range but no loss of performance. Some original version Nissan Leafs are not doing so well. There are some bargains to be had as people are not so confident to buy used EVs. There are some other plug-in hybrids. I know several people who are happy with their PHEV Mitsubishi Outlanders with about 50km EV range. some other plug-in hybrids exist but they tend to be both expensive and have pathetically short EV ranges, some as little as 20km.
There is a low milage second-hand Volt for $22,900 here: https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/holden/volt/?area=Stock&vertical=car&WT.z_srchsrcx=makemodel
Also some Mitsubishi minivans for $15k
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/electric-fueltype/?sortby=~Price&offset=0&setype=sort&area=Stock&vertical=car&WT.z_srchsrcx=makemodel
Nice comments Peter. We are a family of four in Melbourne and like to go camping to remotish regions (eg Mt Buffalo, Wilsons Prom etc), regularly travel to the country (~450km return) and tow a trailer occasionally to collect garden and building materials. However, greater than half of our km are short trips in the city. We have only one car. Eight months ago we bought a second hand Outlander Phev. We have travelled ~9000km in it so far and are very happy, especially in the city where we burn essentially no petrol. The car is spacious, comfortable and responsive. (The only issue is the heater in winter, which seems to require hot water from an engine that is typically not going - teething issue I guess). The car's range is only about 30-40km on electric, but this is enough for almost all our local travel.
We have solar panels that generate considerably more electricity than we use in our house and for the car combined. We recharge during the middle of the night, when demand on the grid is low and purchase 100% renewable energy when we draw from the grid. I estimate that the Outlander Phev has reduced our petrol use in the commodore we used to own by ~75%, with essentially no change in our travel habits or capability (in fact it has more space than the commodore did). We paid about $30,000 for the Outlander with 20,000km on the clock. I think this is a great current day solution that achieves a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions right now, but still allows a comfortable and normal lifestyle. The same can be said for home insulation, double glazed windows, good passive solar design in buildings, PV Panels and other renewables, with the added bonus that good design, PV and renewables also save a lot of money when properly implemented.
I cannot understand the current federal governments attitude on renewables or EVs - seems to be born out of complete ignorance.
"...I cannot understand the current federal governments attitude on renewables or EVs - seems to be born out of complete ignorance."
I can no longer allow them the excuse of ignorance. 10 years ago, perhaps. Not now. They have access to ample expert advice on renewables, climate change etc. Now they are choosing to ignore.
I suspect much of it comes down to tribalism. They have denigrated anything like this for so long as the rantings of greenies that they will not now allow themselves to admit that the world can and must move on from petrol and coal.
Yes, indeed!
Or straight out graft.
BINGO!
PHEV Mitsubishi Outlanders: https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/results?q=%28And.CarAll.keyword%28PHEV%29._.Service.Carsales._.Make.Mitsubishi.%29&sortby=~Price&WT.z_srchsrcx=makemodel
Yes, we are very happy with our Outlander PHEV too. The heater is a bit annoying - it uses electricity from the battery to heat water to heat the cabin. Heaters are not a problem in ICE cars, because their engines are so inefficient they have plenty of waste heat to spare to use to heat the car with. I don’t know how fully battery electric cars do it, but I expect that their air-conditioners are reverse cycle.
The i-MiEV just has an electric heating element I think, probably quicker than heating water, but chews through the battery so fast I'm very wary of using it. The electric seat heater is good, but doesn't help with demisting. Aircon is effective for demisting, but after a few minutes you get condensation on the outside of the screen and have to put the wipers on.
I believe the later model Leafs have reverse cycle aircon, which seems like a much better approach.
I'd like to add that the driving experience can be vastly better than in an ICE car. If there are lots of stops and starting on your trip, sharp corners and hills, the seemless power delivery makes for a very noticeably better more relaxed journey. Unfortunately the effortless travel means much more attention needs to be applied to maintaining the right road speed.
Compared with my previous RX8, Commodore Wagon and even a Honda Jazz, owning an EV ovoids the state of overwhelming depression that comes over you at service stations. The change in your electricity bill seems nothing like the punishment of paying for petrol.
Yes, the learned skill of changing of gears that I used to enjoy is now revealed as just an annoying kludge to make up for the ICE motor's very narrow rpm band of reasonable performance. Having to go somewhere special to fill up with fuming toxic stuff, rather than plugging in at home is annoying too. I will never buy another car that lacks a plug.
Yes, I've never liked automatics as they don't seem to choose exactly the gear I'd like. The EV is totally different, it only has one gear, but it is always the right gear. Really nice how it can glide along smoothy and quietly yet provide instant accelleration of the sort that would require dropping 2 or 3 gears from cruising in an ICE.
and the making of all sorts of uncouth ICE noises! I like the way an EV keeps its cool even when working hard.
Just think in 20 yrs time , the noon's will not be heard .
Another buying option is to accept that in some circumstances in some climates the early versions of the first model Nissan Leaf does not have a battery that retains sufficient performance. At some stage the price will be right to purchase a pre-loved Leaf and refit a replacement later version battery. If you look at the new car pricing in Australian dollars, this may be a rational ownership strategy that gives you a capable car, and especially so as our electric highways develop for those rare longer trips
Exactly - also the new battery packs will have much more range for the same shape and size plus the motors should be good for at least a million kms
Same for BMW i3 1.0. Next year's v3.0 (44 kWh) battery, for a $20k? exchange, will be a compelling way to obtain a good EV with adequate range...
I'm not sure the cheaper argument stacks up with new EVs if you include depreciation. There is a huge drop from retail price to 2nd hand market price at the moment.
Very happy with my i-MiEV, but bought it after price had dropped from $45,000 to $15,000.
I guess 'cheaper' is in the eye of the beholder to some extent, though they are all cheaper to run once you have one. I have the impression that many of the people who are buying a Tesla model S regard this $150,000 car as a bargain because it has better performance than the $250,000-$300,000 car they might otherwise have bought. Meanwhile, back on the ground, I am happy with my iMiEV too - bought as a newish ex-demo for $24k in 2014.
Pretty soon the depreciation issue will be with ICE vehicles - The thinking is that from around 2023 they will depreciate to zero in 5 years because no one will want them after that
But it was never worth $45k. It is, after all, a four door Smart, with an expensive battery. At $15k, they are good value if the range suits your use case.
The current crop of new, corporate/government EVs will be on the market in 2-3 years, and will be excellent buying for earlier adopters, unwilling or unable to pay $50-75k for a new EV.
Yes, that it wasn't worth the asking price is exactly the problem. Hoping to see that solved with future EVs, not sure what current crop you are talking about though - the Renault's?
The cars being promised for the next year or two sound promising if they ever get here though.
Zoe, Kona/Ioniq & Leaf2, when they finally get launched. I just bought an i3 for $42k...
Careful, Nigel will have at you for not including electric motorcycles...
Don't forget the very recently announced Hyundai Kona EV as well. Might not be everyone's cup of tea in its design language, but the high capacity version could be quite compelling with its 470km range.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/625816/2018-hyundai-kona-ev-revealed/
Looks good to me
Whilst our base load electricity still comes from coal fired steam engines electric cars will not be cleaner to run than a prius. They're not about to get an 8 or 900 km range either. A 2kw solar array will offset 20000 km in a prius anyway.