We hear a lot about EV’s and they certainly have a place, especially when the use is primarily round town commutes where the recharging can be done at home overnight where they are unbeatable for running costs and there is no major hassles. They are simple (and in fact fun) to drive with unreal acceleration off the line.

But, and it is a big but, we still can’t help feeling that this is a technology still in it’s infancy that is not really fully ready for the mainstream. In fact it very much reminds us of CNG back in the early 80’s, some great benefits but big tradeoffs.

The major challenge is that there is still a major price pain point for EV’s in New Zealand at close to double the price of a petrol equivalent (New Vehicle) if you want a useful range (say 400km on a charge). Even around the 200km range there is a 50%+ plus price premium. Having enough batteries for a decent range involves extra weight and cost – battery prices are coming down quickly, but the trend is to increase the range whilst keeping the cost the same.

Longer distance travel requires some dedication to find a fast DC charger (The locations are not always obvious even if you know roughly where they are) and recharging to 80 percent usually takes 40 minutes plus (vs a few minutes to refill with petrol). Regular use of fast DC chargers also degrades battery performance more quickly (We have heard recommendations to only use fast charging a few (2-3) times a month to enhance battery life.

The final consideration is the nastiness of some of the materials used in batteries and motors – both in terms of recycling but also in terms of the supply chain as they tend to come from Countries with poor human rights and labour records.

So as your kids might ask, “Are we nearly there yet?” The simple answer is probably not yet.

Cathy