Long-term obsession becomes a smart business choice Wellington photographer Mark Tantrum first discovered electric vehicles (EVs) while working in the US in 2008.
He was shooting a story for a Silicon Valley newspaper at an airfield where Tesla happened to be testing their new Roadster.
“I met the engineers working on 0-60mph acceleration tests. It was incredible to see first-hand how fast the Tesla was,” says Mark.
It left him with a yearning for a vehicle of the future – and a doubt that he’d ever own one.
“They were so expensive – if you could even find one to buy.”
A few years later came his next encounter. Back in New Zealand, he was lucky enough to photograph the first electric production model introduced to the country, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Then finally, in 2016, came his first opportunity to get behind the wheel – a Nissan Leaf, owned by a client.
That test drive, and the clean energy philosophy surrounding it, put Mark on a mission to make the switch. He found electric vehicles were readily available in New Zealand and lower running costs meant the numbers stacked up nicely.
His wife didn’t need much convincing.
“As soon as she got behind the wheel she realised it was just like our old car to drive. We got all three kids in the back, tested it on hills and that was it.”
They bought a year-old Nissan Leaf in November.
“Ninety percent of my work is around town, but I need to get around the region and over to places like Masterton – about 100k each way. My Leaf has a range of 160k so I just top up at a fast charger in Featherston on the way back.”
Most of his charging takes place in the garage. Every few nights, Mark simply plugs in the cable when he gets home.
He’s set the Leaf ’s internal timer so it charges from 9pm-7am. “I like the idea of off-peak charging, when electricity is cleanest and cheapest,” he says.
And setting the timer wasn’t hard to work out – even though the display was in Japanese. “There are lots of videos and information on the web, and you just pick up information by talking to other owners,” he says. There’s a strong sense of camaraderie in the EV world. Around the streets of Wellington, EV drivers give each other a knowing wave. The NZ EV Owners Facebook page is great source of information and discussion; there are also pages for specific areas of New Zealand and types of vehicle.
When it comes to business, Mark says people are often impressed by his zero-emission vehicle. “I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from clients - I think it really helps demonstrate my values. It shows I’m interested in new technology and innovating.”
He’s also enjoyed seeing his two older children, aged 3 and 5, become EV buffs. “When I was looking at different vehicle types – diesel, CNG, electric – I told them how much cleaner EVs are – you don’t have to put up your windows when you go through a tunnel.
Now I hear them telling other people about our electric car and how no fumes come out.
“It’s definitely been cool to get them thinking about things in this way – factoring in our impact on the environment.”
The Leaf has now become so much part of the family’s life he forgets EVs are new technology to many people. “For so many years they were cool but unobtainable – now it’s really happening. Sometimes I still feel like it’s a little bit unbelievable. There’s still that surprise and joy.”
To find out more about electric vehicles see www.electricvehicles.govt.nz