Thread: EV general discussion

Originally Posted by 101RRS

My RRS is now 16 years old and am thinking of a replacement in the near future, though it is still running perfectly reliably. The reality is that it gets used mainly around town with the occasional long trip and offroad trip which again it does really well.

In my car stable I also have my 101 and am acquiring a classic jag at the moment.

So with the 101 able to cover offroad stuff and the jag being able to cover long trips I really do not need a "new" RRS to just run around town.

With the Tesla 3 now the most popular car in Australia in the medium sedan sector (where the Camry rained supreme) I am thinking something like than may be a new replacement. I have noticed that when I see cars on the road around Canberra, the most single model does seem to be the Tesla 3.

So when it comes time to sell the RRS I am most likely to go for an EV like a Tesla 3 or Y. I can still use this for driving within 300km of home and longer if not in a hurry. I will have the new jag on Historic Concessional registration so that aspect will be cheap but as it is a V12 more expensive to drive but useful when you need to go places quickly without the two stops to recharge.

Unfortunately, while EV tech is not new, modern EV tech is and many people want to make it be able to do every thing now. I think they are great town vehicles and Sunday country drive vehicles - even further if you are prepared for longer trips and time to charge - range as such is not an issue now, it is availability of charging points and time to charge.

I think Hydrogen cell vehicles will eventually be the way to go but for now I think an EV (not a MG) will be my next vehicle for everyday use.

Garry

Good on you. People in here need to come to the realisation that while some people need rugged 4x4 with 1000k range on diesel that many people do not. For them an EV might be a feasible option. Maybe as one car in the garage anyway.

I'm the same.. I have a defender for big loads and long trips. And soon and EV for the stuff around the local area. There is even a classic down there for some fun.

Anyway.. FYI the reason why the Model 3 is so common is it was really the first proper EV which was offered in Australia in any numbers. Tesla took a few years to get the local supply of Model Y sorted for Australia. I think the first deliveries were only just over 6 months ago. If you Like the sedan format they have great performance and range and are a good bit cheaper than the Y. People do prefer hatches though and I expect that the Y will overtake the 3 in the coming year.

There is a lot to like about the Tesla but the 3 things I dont like is the body style when it is in dark colours, the central display where more modern designed EVs have a traditional car management display in front of the driver and lastly the "moon" roof where even UK drivers complain about the heat and sun - though to be fair this does seem to be fitted to many new cars these days.

It is a shame that GM stopped all EV development back in the late 90s because if they did not, EV development would be at least 10 years more advanced than it is now, and if Tesla had not come along EV development would have still been as it was when GM closed its EV programme in the 90s.

On a related but non EV battery issue, why do people fit hi tech Tesla car style batteries to their house solar. Tesla style batteries are great where hi power, low weight and compact batteries are required like in a car - however this is not needed in a house - cheaper, heavier, AGM style batteries would work just as well and save a motza.

A bloke pulled up beside us in an Hyundai EV. I don't know what model, but it looked a bit sharper than a Tesla, in my opinion.
Looked sedanish, but may have been a hatchback. Too short a time to look.

Originally Posted by 101RRS

There is a lot to like about the Tesla but the 3 things I dont like is the body style when it is in dark colours, the central display where more modern designed EVs have a traditional car management display in front of the driver and lastly the "moon" roof where even UK drivers complain about the heat and sun - though to be fair this does seem to be fitted to many new cars these days.

It is a shame that GM stopped all EV development back in the late 90s because if they did not, EV development would be at least 10 years more advanced than it is now, and if Tesla had not come along EV development would have still been as it was when GM closed its EV programme in the 90s.

On a related but non EV battery issue, why do people fit hi tech Tesla car style batteries to their house solar. Tesla style batteries are great where hi power, low weight and compact batteries are required like in a car - however this is not needed in a house - cheaper, heavier, AGM style batteries would work just as well and save a motza.

There are really only three proper EV's available in Aus at this point. The Tesla 3/Y, the Ioniq 5/6, and the BYD Atto. I understand your concern about the central display. For $60 you can have a central hud though off ebay which might address that a little. The Hyundai could be worth a look. Quite a bit more expensive now than the 3/Y and they have NCA rather than LFP.

The biggest issue I have with EVs available in Australia is they all look so bland. The pursuit for the most aerodynamic body takes away from the character.

I am hoping Jeep bring the Avenger to Australia. In grey with the bonnet blackout it has a bit of “baby D3” look to it.



Maybe LR will offer a Defender 70 in EV one day.

Originally Posted by DiscoDB

The biggest issue I have with EVs available in Australia is they all look so bland. The pursuit for the most aerodynamic body takes away from the character.

I am hoping Jeep bring the Avenger to Australia. In grey with the bonnet blackout it has a bit of “baby D3” look to it.



Maybe LR will offer a Defender 70 in EV one day.

See.. this is the problem. EV's are like driving a big car with a 10l petrol tank. Anything that reduces aero means you loose range and you'll have to charge it more.

That's why just whacking an EV drivetrain in an existing car isn't overly successful. What ever you save in engineering you have to pile in with more batteries to make up for the drag. It's like the chinesen GWM electric ute. Take a cheap ute and whack an electric motor in. But then you need to add a huuuuge battery pack to offset the crap aero. And then the cheap ute is no longer cheap.

I'm not sure I love the Tesla styling - but I think it looks pretty good for a car with an CD of .23. I hear your complaint about blandness - but to get this kind of aero they are all going to look similar. The hyundai ioniq 6 claimed a .22 CD. But then they had to walk that back because if the car had normal mirrors it was .23 like the Tesla, and not all markets were getting electric mirrors.

MG had to wind back their range estimates because they whacked a few bits of body kit on. Which by the way increased the drag...

MG4 driving range reduced ahead of launch - carsales.com.au

No doubt about that Captain. It is the obsession with maximum range that is driving this. But there is a market for EV’s that - how can I put this - don’t look like an EV.

This is why the F-150 Lightning is successful at getting pick-up truck owners into an EV. It looks like a truck.

For city use, mostly under 60kph, unless stuck on the freeway where you are more likely doing anything from 40-80kph - at least where I am, then weight is more important and the Avenger is a very small compact SUV that looks like an SUV.

The claimed WLTP is around 400km, so based on my “WLTP / 2” theory gives an optimised range of 200km.

So ticks all the boxes for a city runabout that at a most might be called upon to do a Melbourne to Geelong return trip.

It is cheaper than a Hyundai Kona in the UK - but I will bet it gets a big price mark up if it comes here.

Originally Posted by DiscoDB

No doubt about that Captain. It is the obsession with maximum range that is driving this. But there is a market for EV’s that - how can I put this - don’t look like an EV.

This is why the F-150 Lightning is successful at getting pick-up truck owners into an EV. It looks like a truck.

For city use, mostly under 60kph, unless stuck on the freeway where you are more likely doing anything from 40-80kph - at least where I am, then weight is more important and the Avenger is a very small compact SUV that looks like an SUV.

The claimed WLTP is around 400km, so based on my “WLTP / 2” theory gives an optimised range of 200km.

So ticks all the boxes for a city runabout that at a stretch might be called upon to do a Melbourne to Geelong return trip.

It is cheaper than a Hyundai Kona in the UK - but I will bet it gets a big price mark up if it comes here.

My cheapie does Gelong and back often- Ok Little River rifle range oddly just found 17 Aprill start date which might have made changing the short range not needed IF I was happy to wait the hour if the one station is online and not occupied

Warrnambool visitor information centre electric charging station and others coming online sooner or later

I do like the idea I can do as my Disco does- To Port fairy and back on one tank most of the time The 450ish of the replacement is not enough as I think it will be well south of 400 km at 100kph.