Ultimate Guide To Owning An Electric Car in Australia

The EVolution of car making has reached a critical juncture and sales of electric vehicles in Australia will overtake ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles within just a few years.
Finn Peacock explains:
* why the Australian EV takeover is inevitable - and soon,
* how home solar power will play a crucial role, and
* everything you need to know about owning and charging an electric car
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - Common EV questions answered
03:23 - Can EVs go the distance in Australia?
08:28 - Big savings with "solar powered" BMW
11:14 - Installer Profile - EV Charge Australia
14:08 - Solar tech - ChargeFox
16:30 - Single vs. three phase power for EVs
20:03 - Ned's review - Electric Mini
22:23 - Petrol vs. electric car costs
27:20 - The future is electric - and very soon
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[@maurieinfanti8145]

Hi guys. I've been on your mailing list for a while now. Great video! I was just telling my extended family over the weekend that I am holding off on getting rid of my 2005 Ford for a few more years so that I can buy an EV. There are some fantastic models destined to hit our shores over the next few years and the prices will be coming down for sure. Well done and keep up the good work.

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

Hi Finn, great video and thanks for getting the EV message out. People really appreciate the genuine advice and comment from EV owners who can share real world experience. Keep up the great work. 👍🔋

[@victorsvoice7978]

You are doing a good job. Don't let the 'Mad Maxes' stop you from promoting Evs. The Australian government is only interested in fuel taxes, not the environment.

[@matildabrown6723]

Ned’s Reviews are my favourite segment! He is the best 😍

[@jordankjak80]

I've been driving up and down the east coast - Sydney to Brisbane and Sydney to Melbourne for the last ~8 months in the model 3. About 20,000 kms all up of long distance driving, using a mix of Tesla and 3rd party charging and I can say that its easy. Charging time is maybe 15 mins if you keep SOC low. Aim to arrive at chargers with under 10% charge and it will save a lot of time. I've also found that more smaller charging stops is much better than fewer long charging stops due to it being *so* much faster when below 50%. I've tried all the charging stops going both ways, including the Charge Fox and Evie stops I can find on Plug Share. I will say that in the last few months the Tesla range prediction has become amazingly accurate - much more so than when I first got the car! When I'm traveling with the family, the car is always ready before we are. Even when I'm alone I don't get much time to catch up on Netflix. The thing that takes the most time is people telling you how much they don't like them... haha. Gold.

[@FalkinerTim]

In Victoria, electric vehicles are taxed at three times the rate of petrol vehicles. When I purchased my EV, I did not realize just how high the tax was. A litre of petrol is rated at 9.1kwH. Electric vehicles use around (18.2 kwH) per 100 km (or better). The same car running on petrol and using 2 litres per hundred km would pay 2 x 42.7 cents in tax. I.e. 85.4 cents per hundred km. Instead, because the car uses electricity rather than petrol, it is taxed at $2.50 per hundred km, almost three times the rate of the petrol car. I do not think EVs should be taxed at all until EVs are at 50% of the cars on the road. This is good policy from an environmental viewpoint. But if EVs are to be taxed, they should be taxed on the same basis as petrol cars which are taxed on fuel consumption. EVs are more efficient than petrol cars but they should be rewarded for that, not penalized. The government is already taking annual odometer readings and it would be simple to estimate the amount of litres equivalent using the car specs and distance. Once I put up solar panels on my house I will be paying $0.067 (feed-in tariff) per kwH which translates to 18.2 x 0.067 = $1.22 per 100 kilometers. Charging me another $2.50 results in a tax of over 200%. The situation is even worse with more efficient EVs.

[@IDrNik]

That's disgusting - shame on the VIc government. I wonder if there's a way around it by registering vehicles out of state (though I imagine if I've thought of it so have the money grubbers in charge).

[@ivanblakely903]

Hi Tim, also in Vic. Our power retailer recently cut the FIT from 10 to 6 cents so we checked other offers and are back on 12 cents FIT (with the dumb extinct bird). I agree the Vic tax is dumb. We have a plug-in hybrid (compact SUV) which gets about 3km per kWhr (33 kwhr per 100km). If we run it just on fuel it is about 7litres / 100km. Must be an unusually efficient car to get 2litres / 100km.

[@FalkinerTim]

@@ivanblakely903 The point is my electric car does and I get charged three times what I would be charged if it used petrol.

[@toby9999]

I think your calculation is conceptually flawed. For starters, no petrol powered car can manage 2 litres per 100km. To be fair, the way it should work is that an EV and an equivalent size petrol car should pay roughly the same tax per 100 km travelled. Using your figures, I pay $3 tax per 100km.

[@iamrodos]

Range anxiety is over emphasised. Most people don’t do long distances. When they do it’s rare (once or twice a year). Also lots of people have two cars, so at least one can be an EV. A few years and I am super keen to buy an EV and get more from my solar. Thanks for the great episode as usual.

[@SolarQuotes]

Thanks Rodney!

[@Sami-Nasr]

Take about yourself

[@nessc7668]

Great video, looking forward to an EV future

[@thinkingclown]

Great vid. I'd really like to see a segment on a pluggable hybrid car...charge it during the day from solar and run my house at night...i.e. a drivable portable battery...is it sensible, is it practical?

[@rayf9194]

Hi Finn. I have been researching EV's and the one that I really like is the Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD. You have a Tesla where there are many chargers around but I believe that the Kia cannot use them. Using the Plugshare app and planning a trip from Adelaide to say Pt Lincoln is impossible as there are just no suitable chargers en route. So at the moment my EV enthusiasm has waned somewhat.

[@stephenbrickwood1602]

The automatic EV car 'plugin' will be the 'killer gizmo'. EV basically connected to the grid 24/7 trading power and stabilising the grid. A std 240 10 amp supply. The EV car battery 100kwh will be 95% full, ready for the big drive when needed. The EV car computer will be told to top-up or trade with the grid for money. At the car park, office, shops, home, hotel, everywhere. The EV battery will always keep its programmed reserves. So at night your home will ask the grid for the power from the car or grid. All homes feed the grid..

[@homeautomationlab1533]

Enjoy the weekend.

[@softwareyuen]

Great video. What would happen if I have a Nissan Leaf (2020) and cannot charge mine at any Tesla station. Do you think such a road trip feasible? I’m planning to buy a Nissan Leaf in fact.

[@larkhill2119]

Becomes a problem when you arrive at superchargers and 20 cars are waiting. This currently happens in Shenzhen with people recharging at 4.00 am. They have a much better set up than Australia will ever have. Engine rebuild or new battery?

[@RachelMellema]

3:27, I'd love to see how a drive going through the Stuart Highway (Adelaide > Darwin) would go :)

[@user-kc1tf7zm3b]

*Keeping an everyday Mazda 3 2.5L for 15 years, over 210,000km, means 17,000L and $30,618 of fuel consumed. CO2 emissions are a staggering 39,900kg over the same timeframe. The cost of fuel is equal to the new car purchase price! With a home solar system setup, the energy costs of an EV is essentially zero. The future is definitely electric, no matter which way you look at the issue.*

[@alexanderswagin9618]

Hi there, just seen your video from 4 months ago. Still see all the old misinformation alive and well. Batteries don’t need to be replaced as often as is speculated in media. Roadside assist have said there experience is 10 to 12 years for the big battery. I have owned three generations of Prius, all very reliable and nothing outside of regular servicing (tyres the only extra).Have taken delivery of first EV 5 months ago, Mazda mx 30. Wanted Japanese build quality, beyond my expectations. Excellent comfort, practicality, well resolved ride & handling. Stylish with a different look so not just another crossover. Nothing gone wrong first service November or 15000 km($115). So called limited range simply requires a few minutes planning. Can get to Canberra from south coast one charge, Sydney one extra charge. Not really overwhelming. Local fast charges free. No visible changes in electricity bills. Have a good one.

[@skris8227]

Bad charging infrastructure is why I got a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, and thank God I did. On a Brisbane/Sydney return trip the EV charges were not working or super expensive (3x the price of fuel). PHEVs have the best of both worlds. 99.99% of the time in pure EV mode for the local daily commute. And no range anxiety for any long runs, sipping just 6L/100 kms on the highway while moving its 1.8 tons of metal. And (being a run out model) it cost me $37K brand new and 1 week delivery instead of $38K and 6 months wait if I had opted for a RAV4 Hybrid!

[@marktiller1383]

My mk 1zappi fried itself on a hot Australian day after only 1.5mega watts of use.I changed it for an ocular, it supposed to be able to go up to 70c. I switch it off at 60c charger temp, variable amps and just change the amps to suite my solar output and not eat my powerwall 2.

[@timfreeman2603]

In the section re: 3ph or 1ph its worth mentioning that a dedicated 15A socket is a good option. Makes it useable and it’s cheap.

[@SolarQuotes]

I agree. I did talk about 15A sockets during filming - but the editor edited it out for clarity. Maybe we need a director's cut :-)

[@bign1667]

Thanks for the video. There is a new EV company that will sell new cars build the cars in Australia for around 30k. The design look ugly but i think cheap EV's as a space car to get to work and around town for small errands like grocery shopping is the way to go and the right direction to move forward. Fuel cars for long distance trips or nostalgia like motorcycles will always be in demand in my opinion.

[@lachieechoecho]

Great video. I’d love an EV as my next car. Can you recommend an Australian EV sales site? Also, I’m limited to on street parking, is there any options for me other than fast charging at a public charger?

[@MrHeymish]

Great work Fin and team! Can you do a video explaining which electric cars can act as a battery to your house, and also how to configure please?

[@theairstig9164]

There are very few BEVs with V2G or V2H. 2019 onwards Leaf and 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. These need to be coupled with a JetCharge or Tritium wall charger. In summary it will be a very short review

[@MrHeymish]

@@theairstig9164 Thanks for that. Yeah thats a short list. Hopefully theres more to come than that.

[@rayf9194]

​@@MrHeymish The Kia EV6 offers V2L.

[@johnnielsen5322]

I'm not sure if you know that you can charge your EV directly from some solar inverters (ie. SolarEdge). This means that you are charging from DC to DC, and not losing efficiency by converting from DC to AC and back to DC when charging from a power outlet.

[@DannChewie]

Though it'll be interesting to see how the battery packs will be like in 10-12 years time. Replacing the battery isn't exactly cheap by any means

[@garywright8846]

You say run a three phase cable, but if the home is only single phase to the meter, then we stuck with single phase aren’t we? Am I hearing this wrong, please advise.

[@vycogu557]

Can you drive EV to the snow? Will the battery go flat parked in the open? Every time I go to the snow I need to bring jumper leads for the ICE car battery.

[@goranmiljus2664]

Is it possible to fill a small trailer with prismatic lithium batteries and use it as a spare car battery for "road trips" ?

[@dropbear3434]

great video love the advice and tips and i would love a EV but i dont have the money to get one realistically in the forceable future without entering debt which i dont want to do at my age

[@mondotv4216]

Finn, when on a road trip you need a charger that can modify how many amps it pulls. I have one for my PHEV that can do 6/10/15 amps. Plus can’t you adjust the charging speed on the Tesla anyway? Perfectly safe to pull 6 amps from Aussie sockets.

[@kdkd693]

Yes, and they have now added the requested slider to change the amps on the phone app. Really handy for people with solar

[@SolarQuotes]

As of 2 weeks ago, you can adjust the current from the Tesla app. If that was available a few months ago - I would have been comfortable charging from that really ropey looking socket.

[@ivanblakely903]

I have a plug-in hybrid, which removes the range anxiety for now, but I am interested in an EV at some time. We charge at home from solar, so it is not overnight, and have never re-charged away from home, but just rely on fuel. At present an ICE spends maybe 5 minutes occupying a bowser for a refill, while a fast charger needs 30 minutes. How many will be required for those busy periods up the highways once the EV fleet grows beyond the early adopters? Seems to me the business model for highway service centres needs to change considerably, and city servos die at the same time. Also, Tesla specific chargers are nice, but not sustainable. The infrastructure needs to be non-proprietary and standard based.

[@robertgregory8964]

There is minimal EV infrastructure in Australia. I have an imported 2012 plug-in Prius which Toyota has always refused to sell here. It charges from standard 10A mains and in the past 4 months since I last purchased petrol it has covered 2,500 km on 40 litres of petrol with no range anxiety when I leave the city.

[@Robert-sq7bp]

Love the savage Scott Morrison dig, keep it up! I'd be keen to see a segment on how different governments/councils are planning for solar and renewable uptake

[@johnrogers1423]

The 10 amp tail for my Tesla Mobile Connector will only allow 8 amps through to the car and the 15 amp tail will only allow 12 amps through. Is this the same for the Leaf shown in your program? If the electric circuits are good and nothing else is used on the circuit in question, an amphibian 15 to 10 amp adapter will allow allow 50% faster charging from a 10 amp socket.

[@mondotv4216]

You should never run more than 10amps continuous through a standard socket. The wiring will overheat and eventually cause potentially deadly problems. You can run higher transient loads, but a 15amp or 32amp circuit is a totally different wire gauge to a 10amp circuit.

[@johnrogers1423]

As the cable supplying a single 15 amp outlet is the same as the cable supplying a group of 10 amp outlets, as long as only one of the 10 amp outlets is being used, it is quite capable of supplying 12 amps to a car charger.

[@NothingtoSay9817]

I've been looking forward to a point in time when EV's become affordable in Australia so I was excited to see the 2022 Bolt EV shown in your video for $31,995 and the Bolt EUV for $33,995. It was only after I googled that I found out that these vehicles aren't even coming to Australia and the prices you listed were in USD anyway. Kind of purposefully misleading don't you think? Listing cars that aren't even coming to market in Australia and clearly showing the USD price? (I then had to go back to the video and pause to see in tiny print the AUD equivalent) I get the point your trying to make but it's little details like this that make me question some of the other things I see on your videos. What else are you slightly twisting to tell a story? I guess I won't know until I google it all.

[@mondotv4216]

I doubt it was deliberately misleading. Just an editor going too far with the brief. I noticed it as well, but I already knew no Bolts in Oz, so no googling necessary. We’ll have to wait for the slew of China made vehicles for prices to come down. There’s no downward pressure on price because they’re selling just about every EV they can make.

[@Plasmo20]

So DC charging for EVs. I have recently updated my solar system, replaced like for like a 3.3kw Aurora with a 3.0km Fronius 3520kw panels. Getting 3 x the output and with my feedin tariff of 0.55/kw it will be paid off in 18months. This leaves me with 14x190kw solar panels and the Aurora 3.3kw inverter that are worth nothing to sell. SO......... I can use the 14x190 panels to create a DC supply as I have more roof space. Can I make a DC charging supply to charge an EV? What else do I need? Im a VAN/peoplemover kinda guy because I can put MTB and pushbikes in the back, so I am waiting for that style of EV to go mainstream in Australia (might be waiting a while) also I never buy new cars as they lose 50% purchase price in less than 5 years, so I buy at about 5-7yrs old for a fraction of new. Cant wait that long for old EVs as there will be nothing suitable by then. So whats in the market now(ish)? cheers

[@kdkd693]

What size charger would likely best suit the Cybertruck? I have a trimotor on order and deciding the size of the new house solar install right now. If it will charge at 22kW, a 3 phase zappi on a 20kW solar system would be ideal If only 11kW, like my Model 3, not sure

[@SolarQuotes]

I don't know what Max AC kW the Cybertruck will charge at when released. But considering that a 3 phase Zappi is only AUD $300 more than a single-phase, I think 3-phase is a no brainer.

[@kdkd693]

@@SolarQuotes thanks

[@barryhamm3414]

I have a fairly ordinary 10kw solar setup (without a battery) in SE Queensland, over the August, September & October quarter I exported to the grid enough to keep an EV charged, Planning to keep my ICE car a bit longer but an EV is on the horizon.

[@ausguy4385]

I put 30kwh a day into the grid with 6kw inverter and 9kw panels... for last 3 weeks since install... A EV seems a good next car. For a second car... but my main car is 4x4 with 1600km range and still have to plan trips for diesel. Most Remote places have to turn on gen sets for you to fill up... They are not going to be changing a EV 4x4 if they were even available 😂

[@Sami-Nasr]

I drive PHEV, if I cannot charge at home at night, I use petrol, petrol is cheaper than charging at public points and equal to charging during the day at home

[@fillippostapowicz1586]

Geat episode. But I feel that your comments about running a 3 phase cable needed some extra information like, the average house does not have a 3 phase supply to the house. To retrofit 3 phase could be quite costly and needs to be factored into the overall cost. Otherwise a great episode and I look forward to the next one. Cheers

[@hmcinnes73]

I'm with Ned. Still just too expensive. Even the used Nissan Leaf's from almost 10 years ago demand close to $20k (and thanks to their poor battery management, range is really very low). But, the more rich people who buy new ones, and the more governments, fleets, businesses, rental agencies - the more 2nd hand car prices will drop. Can't wait!

[@raybright5805]

BUT... What is the effective life & replacement cost for a battery beit in a EV or Home solar setup. If we look at the example of the leaf in the UK the EV battery is up for replacement after 8 years and then there is the issue of how / if these old batteries are efficiently recycled. Comments welcome.

[@mondotv4216]

In the UK there are plenty of 8 year old LEAFs running around with no battery replacement. Not so much in Australia due to the heat. A more modern, larger battery model won’t have the same issues the LEAF had. 3 factors. A larger battery gets cycled less for the same amount of kilometres (and we generally measure a batteries life in cycles). Nearly all modern EVs have batteries that are thermally managed and battery tech has just come a long way in 8 years. And got a lot cheaper. Good on Nissan for giving it a go. Bad engineering to rely on passive cooling. And then to gouge their customers for replacements.

[@mondotv4216]

Oh and recycling - a recent study by a battery recycling tech company found recycled cathode or anode material actually made for superior battery performance because it more readily accepted the lithium ions. EV battery recycling is not going to be a problem. At the moment they’re all getting snapped up for conversions or home storage, but the materials are just too valuable to waste. Tesla has already committed to a cradle to grave approach for their batteries, with 100% recycling. Other automakers are doing similar things.

[@raybright5805]

@@mondotv4216 Thanks for your comments, this is something that needs discussion. Are you aware whether or not in Australia Tesla offer a recycling credit and what is the cost of a replacement EV battery, some media posts indicate close to $20K for a replacement EV battery, would be good to know the actual cost. Then on top of that, it would seem that future Tesla EV batteries may be completely different so is there a guarantee that existing EVs will be even be able to purchase a replacement. Comments welcome

[@FordPrefect57]

Great vid. I may consider subscribing. Your journey to pick up your puppy was a bit disappointing. Your use of only Superchargers limited your recharge options and of course your "range anxiety". You could use a Chademo adapter or get your S updated to CCS. Also 32 km is heaps of range. If you were driving an early Leaf you only be down to about 30% battery.

[@mturkere]

Interested to learn about ev2grid

[@smokeydk7712]

How could I recharge an electric car in the Simpson Desert in Australia

[@victorsvoice7978]

Simple! There will be solar chargers with battery storage. You will be able to charge your car 24/7. What would you do if your ice car breaks down in the desert? Electric cars don't breakdown.

[@toby9999]

@@victorsvoice7978 Electric cars do break down.

[@shanelynch5771]

Do hotels/motels and caravan parks charge a surcharge if you have an EV? Can’t imagine them wearing the cost of recharging.

[@dallasdrew2390]

I stay at lots of caravan parks and drive a Tesla model 3 I just plug it in for an over night charge in the 240v socket at no extra cost.

[@SolarQuotes]

@@dallasdrew2390 me too - I expect this to change as they realise how much energy an EV can absorb. But.. they have no sub-metering so they are blind to who uses what. Also, a large RV with an inefficienct A/C can pull as much power as a EV trickle charger.

[@jasondads9509]

People run out of fuel in petrol cars, and when that happens is relatively easy for road side assit to just top off your car. What happens if you have an electric car and you run out of charge in the middle of nowhere?

[@behindthebuild8016]

2 things not mentioned. The resale is terrible for electric cars compared to ICE cars especially in 2023. I see friends with low mileage teslas and they can’t sell them as people only want to buy new electric due to warranty and battery life issues. That’s the second thing MG electric car owners are saying even after 1 year they’re not getting anywhere near the kms per charge they use to when new that’s how quickly the battery is degrading. Those two issues along with lack of charging infrastructure is a no go until these things are sorted

[@JimiHendrix-es4lv]

What if you rent your house or flat and have to park on the street? I guess you can't charge at home overnight then. Won't that take up a lot of time charging during the day?

[@SolarQuotes]

You don't have to charge every day. 30 mins, once a week at a fast charger will work for average driving distance.

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

We love our mg zs ev. I'd argue that it is already cheaper than owning a petrol equivalent taking into account servicing costs, fuel costs etc.

[@behindthebuild8016]

How’s the EV going now after 2 years?

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

​@@behindthebuild8016love it so much. My wife now drives the MG ZS and we have purchased a second ev.

[@behindthebuild8016]

That’s good to hear I like the new MG EVs they’re fast and look good too

[@brianhayes8986]

What about the 2.5 cent per kilometre tax ?

[@michaelcarydakis790]

our honda costs 159.00 for a petrol hrv service

[@lane2m]

This Video is definitely instructive but I believe how EV are depicted here is wrong since the downsides an constrains of this technology are not properly highlighted If EV would start to be widely adopted the grid simply with not cope without massive investment/changes that at the moment are nowhere to be seen in Australia or elsewhere There are safety concern when it comes to fire EV are much more expensive than ICE They are not environmentally friendly considering in many cases emission are just moved from the car to other part of the chain like battery production, energy generation, disposal of energy panels/batteries, etc. Battery are too expensive and from an Engineering point of view when we start to have vehicle way above 2t they simply makes no sense. No repair capability/network for batteries this would lead to cost increase of insurance Considering a car is going from point A to point B in certain time on long range they are less effective due to time required to recharge or constrain to with the charging network. Basically ICE are better on this These are few more (just search on youtube) and it would be important to even evaluate the downside of owning an EV. Owning a small/medium EV in Australia for city use at this stage could make sense but anything else that that has significative negative ripercussion that this video omit or not remark properly.

[@aymanalmateeg]

All this hassle of having to think where the chargers are and how your route/time spent at charging stops will be accordingly and you still think it’s easy?

[@michellebygate4334]

How much did it cost to recharge per 100 km Away

[@SolarQuotes]

for me - it was free (my car comes with unlimited free charging) . But to pay it costs 50c per kWh from a supercharger. One kWh will get you 5-6 km - so 8-10c per km. Bear in mind that when you own an EV almost all your charging is at home - which if you have solar is approx one-tenth of this cost. Fast DC chargers cost more because of 'demand charges' levied by the networks because the instantaneous power draw is so high.

[@smdnsnnd7254]

Ev is only selling well in other countries cause of gov subsidies... Norway gov gets their money from oil... Evs are great but still considered a luxury for now...

[@Brissie700]

😊

[@Cafeacore]

Id get an ev but fuck me dead theyre expensive. Id be ready for it too, got a 13.3kw solar system, 10kw inverter and 20kw battery, im ready for an ev. Just cant cop another 30k plus to trade in for an EV. I got a 2022 Kia Stinger GT and if i could swap it for something as good i would.

[@sqam0]

Is it just me or does there seem to be more new Pertrol Stations popping up everywhere recently... Doesnt make sense to me.

[@iamrodos]

Think of them more of a convenience store than a petrol distribution place. If there are going to be more charging places where people are going to say for 20 minutes it’s not a lot to swap the over or have dual use. All that advertising for $1 coffee is there to get you in as the place to buy small items.

[@sqam0]

​@@iamrodos I would imagine most EV drivers here in australia would be topping up with electrons at home - So the need to charge outside would be nil or minimal for most suburban runabouts (where the vast majority of Petrol stations are located). I admit I am a bit of a sucker and will sometimes grab an Icedcoffee and doughnut when filling up, but thats only becuase im there. I would not go out of my way to grab these overpriced items from a petrol station if I wasnt there in the first place. I guess therfore the only advantage the 'Conveience Store with pertrol bowsers' would have in the suburbs is outside supermarket hours - which here in Adelaide is pretty poor. Will be interseting to see if or how they transition/adapt thats for sure.

[@flamingstag2381]

still amateur but ur getting there maybe a little less pom would help !!!

[@MalCroughton]

11 lt/100km seems a bit high to use as average petrol consumption and suggesting EVs don't need servicing is nonsense, Massaging figures to make a case is always wrong. On the other hand, if I'm having a bad day and have completely misunderstood what was said and shown, my apologies.

[@kymbo72]

what about insuring an electric car - I would guess expensive, right?

[@vycogu557]

Very informative thank you. Love the hopeful ending that transport emissions will fall inspite of our ‘idiot PM’

[@tomsoleymanbik3266]

So your video really put me off EV's for another decade. I don't wanna think about charging stations and waiting around a couple of hours. And really the real benefit is when you charge at home with solar installed. Also, let's see the taxes the government introduce.

[@robby3467]

The flaw I see in all of this is the initial outlay. Car plus roof solar + battery + charger + sundries is going to be $70,000+. This is beyond the capability of most people. I haven't even installed roof solar yet because it will cost $4k and I don't trust the installers.

[@SolarQuotes]

Robin - start with solar - in Australia it should pay for itself very quickly. Feel free to avail yourself of our Good Installer Guarantee - if you use SolarQuotes to find an installer. We can be with you the whole way if you are nervous about the process.

[@philipbrailey]

Aren’t the batteries dearer than the actual car.

[@hugodabron3556]

Ned feels like he's in the millennium falcon.... isn't it one of the most unreliable spacecraft? Hahaha

[@peterglen734]

Still sounds like a lot of trouble to own one

[@TheMicmicmic9]

with the price hikes noway i m going to an EV and my body corporate is charging me $12000 to connect a new power point to my parking spacee... hell no!😂

[@toby9999]

I don't expect electric cars to be affordable in my lifetime. I'm guessing 25 to 30 years before the average person can afford one and I'll most likely be dead by then.

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

Are you aware of the MG ZS EV.

[@toby9999]

@@NaughtyGoatFarm No, so just searched it up and I see it advertised for $45k which is over 4x more than I've ever paid for a car. With depreciation, it might be within my budget by 2035 :)

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

@@toby9999 I was the same. Generally I buy cars about $5,000. But the amount I was spending servicing and repairing them even doing the work myself, the MG ZS EV has worked out cheaper.

[@domp8172]

So just buy a 20k solar system to save $12k a year, with a 70k car.

[@walidnehme2869]

OP

[@ancora966]

Well your trip just show how electric cars are not yet ready for our regular usage and can make simple trips a lot more complex. However, I believe this is just a matter of time until things (battery technology, charging infrastructure, etc.) get better over here.

[@--Nath--]

Regular usage? Huh? 1000km road trips aren't regular usage. Daily commutes are easily accomplished. Weekends - I don't do 1000km trips, I might do 250km and then back a day later..

[@SolarQuotes]

I guess it depends on your tolerance of change. For me, the trip was super exciting and interesting. For someone with a different perspective, they may find the same trip complex and unsettling compared to refuelling conventionally. But the good news is that most early adopters embrace change - b uilding the market for EVs while the infrastructure catches up and quickly makes such trips 'routine' as fast EV chargers pop up everywhere and new EVs get faster and faster to charge,

[@theairstig9164]

"your electric car will last heaps longer than an ICE car". Queue the sad whimpering noises from Gen 1 Leaf owners in the corner

[@FalkinerTim]

The newer cars have better battery management systems and battery temperature management systems. The manufacturers seem to be moving to the lithium iron phosphate batteries which last three to four times longer than the current batteries. This video estimates the lifetime of the lithium iron phosphate batteries at between 759,000 and 1,000,000 miles - see chart at 29.40: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJW9fWuIe5innqs

[@timfreeman2603]

Haha yeah, passive cooling in Australia was a failure.

[@skris8227]

My Outlander PHEV always keeps 33% of its battery spare so that when it's parked in the sun and super hot, uses that to cool the battery. And this simple bit of smart engineering from a Battery Management System that was designed in 2014!

[@SolarQuotes]

Yes - the first-generation EVs are not as reliable as the subsequent ones. The progress in EV manufacturing and battery reliability is incredible.

[@zagan1]

Well an i30 is 670 klm a tank, 50 ltr. The other problem is tesla limiting charging rates after 8 years

[@michaelcarydakis790]

and when tesla software needs up grade for fast charge 15k usa dollars and the power grid will die i hate electric cars and a tesla battery 57k a guy blew his tesla up no way

[@iamrodos]

“I live in SE Qld in my fully electric house”. Errr. Don’t most people? I think people stopped running their houses off wood and steam a while ago. 😋

[@SolarQuotes]

Gas is a major energy source to approx 70% of Australian homes through either a network connection providing natural gas or a bottled gas alternative.

[@--Nath--]

Gas? And yeah, many also use wood for heating in winter too..

[@666huntufireman2]

With the average price of an ev toycar bring 50000 pounds, and 22000 for a start price in the uk, I can picture all these people dying from hypothermia in their ev's out on the street,because you lot don't build properties with garages, and because the cost of your electricity is so prohibitive, you will not be able to afford both ,ie heating or an ev toycar. Lmfo.

[@dinosshed]

Who thinks EV vehicles will have the highest level of tax applied? If the government isn't making money from fuel they will make certain it comes from the OVERWEIGHT tax of EV.

[@toby9999]

Governents will have to tax electric cars.

[@dinosshed]

@@toby9999 yeah, by some excessive numbers

[@toby9999]

@@dinosshed Possibly, but they'll have to make up for the shortfall as people switch to electric. My petrol car costs $3 excise tax per 100km. That's what governnents will have to claw back from EV owners. The Victorian government mooted 2 to 2.5c per km. That's lower than what I pay currently. There are other factors in play but it's ballpark.

[@dinosshed]

@@toby9999 I'm not a fan of Ev from a motorsport point of view as it does nothing to stir emotions. The performance is incredible and it'd be handy to have one.

[@bernardcharlesworth9860]

I drive an electric van .far cheaper than a fossil vehicle

[@paulnolan4464]

Wast of money, electric will never take off, unless the Australian government makes it mandatory for all service stations to install charging points,

[@michaelcarydakis790]

electric cars burn out motors and cost more than the car so hydrogen is my choice

[@SolarQuotes]

Electric motors have been used for decades in industrial processes. They are well understood, and, unless you are very unlucky, will easily go for a million km. They are much simpler and more reliable than an internal combustion engine. They are also much more efficient. They convert about 98% of the energy put into motion, compared to about 20% for an ICE engine which loses 80% of the energy in the petrol as heat.

[@Karl-Benny]

This is a good reason not to buy one