Thread: EV general discussion

Warning - TL;DR


NEMA 14-50 40 amp 9.6 kWh EV Charger.

With this charger, you can expect a charging range of ~40-56 kilometres per hour.

At that rate it would cost me ~$3.26 per hour
Assume I have a big range vehicle @ 50% charge.
Using my normal avg distance travelled per day of 250km

Some quick sums:

50km charge per hour @ $3.26 per hour. 5 hours to hit 250km range = $16.30 which is 1/3rd my fuel cost.

However it also adds +48wkh of my houses daily usage.
At the moment my 20-35kwh (seasonal variance) production is eaten pretty quickly.
Add my ~10kwh daily usage (that’s quite low)

Best case:
35x30(days) = 1,050 * $0.52 = $546.00 (max export revenue)
48+10 = 58 * 30(days) = 1,740 kWh @ $0.34 = $591.60 (consumed cost)

$546.00 - $591.60 = -$45.60 per month deficit


My normal vehicle would cost $489.00 for the same period.

My power/solar is normally:
$102.00 import
$546.00 export
= $442.00 cash in my pocket
-$489.00 fuel bill
= -$47.00 deficit


Total variation $1.40 in favour of EV


Didn’t bother to do the servicing, as it will certainly move in the EVs favour (especially outside warranty)

Does Tesla do corporate (free servicing during warranty?)

It’s a bit apples and oranges though - only Rivian is doing a full size Offroad vehicle at the moment, so my fuel burn is higher than say a BMW or other same size as a comparable Tesla

I did find a USA site that estimates a Tesla has a higher annual maintenance cost vs all other brands with Tesla @ $832 usd / year vs avg of $652 usd / year for all other brands in the same size category.


Was interesting to do the basic calcs…

Originally Posted by DiscoDB

If you can’t afford a 7kW home charger, you probably can’t afford to buy a new car.

For many the body corporate will not allow the installation of these big chargers so many are stuck with a charger that plugs into a 10 amp three pin socket.

Originally Posted by Homestar

I think most of us have splurged many thousands on car stuff over the years. Adding a decent charger to the garage to suit the shiny new ev would be just par for the course and not something most would get too upset by I don’t think.

For sure if you live in a nice 3 bedroom house in the burbs - not if you live in a block of units and have to park in the basement with access on to a 10 amp, 3 pin socket.

Originally Posted by Tombie

Warning - TL;DR


NEMA 14-50 40 amp 9.6 kWh EV Charger.

With this charger, you can expect a charging range of ~40-56 kilometres per hour.

At that rate it would cost me ~$3.26 per hour
Assume I have a big range vehicle @ 50% charge.
Using my normal avg distance travelled per day of 250km

Some quick sums:

50km charge per hour @ $3.26 per hour. 5 hours to hit 250km range = $16.30 which is 1/3rd my fuel cost.

However it also adds +48wkh of my houses daily usage.
At the moment my 20-35kwh (seasonal variance) production is eaten pretty quickly.
Add my ~10kwh daily usage (that’s quite low)

Best case:
35x30(days) = 1,050 * $0.52 = $546.00 (max export revenue)
48+10 = 58 * 30(days) = 1,740 kWh @ $0.34 = $591.60 (consumed cost)

$546.00 - $591.60 = -$45.60 per month deficit


My normal vehicle would cost $489.00 for the same period.

My power/solar is normally:
$102.00 import
$546.00 export
= $442.00 cash in my pocket
-$489.00 fuel bill
= -$47.00 deficit


Total variation $1.40 in favour of EV


Didn’t bother to do the servicing, as it will certainly move in the EVs favour (especially outside warranty)

Does Tesla do corporate (free servicing during warranty?)

It’s a bit apples and oranges though - only Rivian is doing a full size Offroad vehicle at the moment, so my fuel burn is higher than say a BMW or other same size as a comparable Tesla

I did find a USA site that estimates a Tesla has a higher annual maintenance cost vs all other brands with Tesla @ $832 usd / year vs avg of $652 usd / year for all other brands in the same size category.


Was interesting to do the basic calcs…

We get it a Tombie - not for you…..just keep that fleet of 4WD’s on the road.

But would be nice to be able to get the export credits you still receive.

Originally Posted by 101RRS

For many the body corporate will not allow the installation of these big chargers so many are stuck with a charger that plugs into a 10 amp three pin socket.

That will change - won’t be long before they legislate to stop body corps from being allowed to do this. I am even expecting before too long landlords will be forced to allow EV chargers to be installed in rentals (and probably be held responsible for the maintenance).

A 2.4kW charger can still add 10-15km an hour - so that’s at least 100-150km a day you could add (assuming you are only home for 10hrs a day).

Of course people can always stick with an ICE or just get a plug in hybrid - a 40km range can still reduce fuel usage if people really care.

Originally Posted by DiscoDB

We get it a Tombie - not for you…..just keep that fleet of 4WD’s on the road.

But would be nice to be able to get the export credits you still receive.

It was just an exercise. Didn’t take any charging delays/hold ups/availability into the sums. That’s a convenience/locality argument - my calcs still work for city owners - when I was city based my daily travel was about the same servicing clients and many a tech or service rep will cover these kilometres.

I’d read an article claiming no cost benefit, so did it whilst sitting here waiting for my wet tumbler to finished its run

Based on current supply charges - I don’t believe on paper it’s (financially) for almost anybody. Happy to see a model where it makes a significant difference.

Unless the person is the current owner of a very large solar array the costs just don’t stack up as of any (financial) benefit to the owner regardless of kilometres driven annually.

Add purchase premium vs equivalent ICE and let’s say 7 years of initial ownership, the current offerings don’t seem to have a financial benefit (private vehicles) unless your boss is willing to let you charge at work for free otherwise plugging in at work is the equivalent of misuse of a fuel card.

They certainly aren’t cleaner, except if you’re standing behind them , with the learned argument sitting somewhere between 16,000 & 40,000 miles* before the vehicle itself goes carbon nett zero from manufacturing and excludes any further processing.

Tombie - I have never bought a car based on the economics of ownership. You talking to someone who spent 70% of my income keeping my first car on the road - which of course I had to replace the 6cyl with a V8.

I also don’t buy into the debate that an EV is better or worse for the environment than say a 3T 4WD. I do accept they are cleaner and it is easier to control emissions at the source of the power generation- but will an EV be better over its life time compared to a new 3T 4WD isn’t part of the decision making for me (or for most people if they are honest).

Most of us make car buying decisions based on what we want and can afford. Some even buy what they can’t afford.

Trying to rationalise that EV’s are bad based on cost of ownership, lack of range, can’t tow 3.5T, don’t reduce emissions, won’t last 20 years, or any other reason you can try to come up with won’t change anything - other than convince yourself it is not for you. Nothing wrong with that if it doesn’t suit your needs - but doesn’t make it true for everyone.

And so if you have to use these arguments to rationalise why you bought what you bought - good for you. Enjoy it - you deserve owning something that makes you happy. I am yet to hear from a current EV owner who isn’t happy (gee even NavyDiver for all the faults with the MG is getting another one).

It is clear for me that emission controls just make new ICE vehicles less and less attractive, so I can’t wait to see where EVs or Hydrogen powered vehicles take us.

My dream “end of the fossil era“ vehicle is probably still a supercharged V8 petrol RRS - just have to find one that I can justify buying and doesn’t like to destroy itself. May have to settle for a TDV8 RRS instead and then transfer the powertrain across to the D3.

It is an exciting time for the future of the auto industry and I can’t wait to see what comes next. The EV industry is only just truly kicking off this century and can only get better and better. It has 100 years to catch up on and it is the early adopters that are laying the foundations for the future.

And meanwhile, enjoy your ICE’s people. You will be driving them for decades to come.

Originally Posted by 101RRS

For sure if you live in a nice 3 bedroom house in the burbs - not if you live in a block of units and have to park in the basement with access on to a 10 amp, 3 pin socket.

Agree wholeheartedly on that point. I doubt the poor sods in the apartment block would even have access to a standard power point. Add in all those that have no driveway and there’s a LOT of people that have no way at all of charging at home.

Add in those that have wimpy supplies to their houses like mine - only a 32 amp supply - that would basically max out on a 7KW charger so forget heating the house or cooking dinner while the EV is charging or vice versa.