Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Slow change to electric vehicles
Electric vehicles could be the answer, but the question is, do Kiwis have the money?
reports.
The price of electric vehicles and concerns about range may have slowed their momentum, but an advocacy group says motorists should switch on to the big longterm savings.
The Better NZ Trust is an organisation spreading the word that if New Zealand is to reduce its carbon dioxide footprint, a move to EVs and eating less meat are two things within everyone’s grasp.
The Better NZ Trust chairperson Kathryn Trounson said some people did want to do the right thing by the environment, but ‘‘most people purchased things according to their wallet’’.
‘‘Mainly people want one because they understand that the running costs on a day to day basis – if you’re charging up at home, you’re driving 100km on probably $3 of electricity.
‘‘The other side of the coin is that a lot of people say that the cost of buying the car to start with is a problem.’’
But Trounson said those who did their sums would see the monetary benefits could be reaped further down the track.
‘‘If you spend $80 a week on petrol, then if you put a deposit on a $20,000 EV, after five years you would have entirely paid if off using the money saved on petrol.’’
She said in most households, it was the woman leading the charge to switch to EVs while husbands ‘‘pooh-poohed’’ the
idea until they got in the car.
A Marlborough Sounds resident can vouch for Trounson’s theory.
Sandra McBride lives ‘‘miles from anywhere’’ in Anakiwa and after trading in the family’s second petrol vehicle for the 24 kilowatt Nissan Leaf EV, she hasn’t looked back.
The range on her Leaf is about 120km.
She said after doing her research, she bought the smallest Leaf as it was within her price reach, and ‘‘because my husband wasn’t convinced, but now he is’’. The Leaf cost $12,000 with a trade-in.
Both the couple work, so two cars were a necessity. McBride said the Leaf was perfect as her run-around to Nelson and around Marlborough.
On a recent trip to Christchurch, about a 370km journey, the normal six hour trip for the McBride family took eight hours with stops along the way where there were rest rooms or cafes to while away the time.
She said to charge to 100 per cent might take 40 minutes –
‘‘but it’s worth it to me’’.
She said they had stuck with one petrol car for the meantime as they couldn’t afford to purchase two EVs.
‘‘Next time I may get a hybrid, only because I’d like the range in the Marlborough Sounds when we tow the caravan to whereever.’’
Chargenet.nz shows a map of more than 200 charge stations currently available for use around the country with another 37 sites planned or under construction.
The Government has a goal of reaching approximately 64,000 electric vehicles on New Zealand roads by 2021, which is optimistic when the Ministry of Transport reports showed 18,787 EVs registered as at January 7 this year.
Based on population, Wellington and Otago are leading the charge, with ownership of 3.97 EVs per 1000 people, followed by Canterbury on 3.76, Auckland on 3.47 and Nelson/Marlborough on 3.34.
The Nelson Marlborough region has about 660 purely electric cars on its road, according to the Ministry of Transport.
Nelson-based Car Company managing director Shane Drummond said everyone thought ‘‘we were going to change the world pretty quick, but I don’t think EV cars are going to change the world as quickly as we thought’’.
He said it was the range of the EVs that was holding people back, with many compromising with a hybrid that could go the distance and keep up with Kiwi’s recreational needs.
‘‘We’re into boating and a bit of four-wheel driving but you have limitations with an EV.
‘‘I’m not sure that it’s going to be the total answer of what you and I want to do in a motorcar.’’
He said most families could forgo their second internal combustion engine vehicle, for an EV as it was ideal for the short trips.
Teslas are at the peak of the EV range, with the Model S able to go more than 600km on a charge, for a price tag of $150,000. Spotting them around town is a rarity.
More common is the electric Hyundai Kona SUV, priced between $78,000 to $84,000 depending on the model.
Nelson’s Bowater Hyundai used to have a waitlist of up to a year but worldwide demand has increased production and decreased the delay.
Bowater Hyundai sales manager James Duncan said that depending on colour choice, customers could be driving off the lot in their eco-friendly car in 10 days.
Twelve drivers in the last year have purchased a Kona or Ioniq from the yard after doing plenty of research on the cars, he said.
He said there had definitely been an increase of interest in EVs on the lot, with a mix of young and old ‘‘going for the change’’, especially with the Kona taking away the range anxiety with a range of more than 400km.
But for those wanting the range who weren’t ready to part with the cash, Duncan said a lot of people were going to sit tight for the second-hand option.
‘‘They can’t afford the new ones but they say, in three or four years time, that’s what they’re going to be going into, because it’s the way of the future I guess – hybrids, electric and hydrogen is where people are heading.’’
Carly Gooch