Leaf ‘a magic carpet ride’

“It’s a magic carpet ride” is how Steve Withers (right) describes driving a Nissan Leaf plug-in electric car.

The Auckland IT trainer was driven to an electric car by what he says was the inaction on climate change by the previous National Government.

“Sure it saves us money, sure there is less maintenance, but for us it was all about getting rid of the carbon emissions and what we had control over,” says Withers, who bought his first electric car 18 months ago.

He has since upgraded to a $45,000 Nissan Leaf import from Britain with a Bose stereo, leather seats and longer driving range.

The magic ride, he says, is quiet and smooth with no gear-changing or engine roar. The only gear is drive that can go from zero to 140km/h in one smooth acceleration. “If you go gently you barely feel it and if you put your foot down you definitely feel it. The Leaf is more than quick enough. It has got loads and loads of torque.”

Withers says the enforced breaks on a long trip to recharge the battery allow him to drive considerable distances and arrive feeling rested.

Once electric vehicles become more accessible they will become an “absolute no-brainer to be driving instead of a fossil-fuel one”. build awareness and remove anxiety about the range of vehicles available.

“There are very few models in the market but changes are coming,” said Gilbert, former managing director of BMW in New Zealand. He drives an electric BMW i3.

There were lifestyle issues to overcome, he said, such as how an electric car would tow the boat or a caravan.

In Auckland, energy company Vector has provided 18 free rapidcharging and nine standard-charging stations. Two more are being added in Wellsford and Henderson.

ChargeNet.nz is well on the road towards 105 rapid stations, capable of charging within 10-30 minutes, throughout the country by 2019.

A Vector spokesman said energy networks must be able to cope with a potential surge in demand and with more and bigger-battery electric vehicles being charged up at home overnight: “Electricity distribution businesses will need good information to ensure sufficient build-out and upgrades are made to cope with the increased demand on the network.”