Thread: EV general discussion

So unlike many in this thread. I try and be open and honest, and objective here.

So here you go! Volvos ex30 with NMC batteries .. the owners have been asked not to charge over 70% as it could lead to battery overheating and fires. It doesn't appear that it's actually happened at least in Australia so seem very precautionary. Volvo/Geely are still trying to work out the best way forward. 2815 vehicles affected.

Volvo EX30 EV Recall: Thousands Of Vehicles Involved

In the interest of balance I'd like to remind everyone ICE vehicles and fire recalls are mundane and frequent. Hyundai recently had to recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles for fire risk. My friend has one of the affected hyundais - and she was told not to put the car in the garage until it was fixed in the official documentaion.

Hyundai and Kia ABS Defect Class Action | Maurice Blackburn

I don't have facts and figures available - so my comment is based guesswork.

But how much money is the government pumping into:

* Solar farms?
* Wind Farms?
* Tax breaks for these 'green' companies?
* Giving money to Woolworths for an electric truck fleet?
* Incentives for EV's ?
* Solar panel incentives?
* Heat pump incentives?
* LED light upgrade incentives?
* Hand dryer instead of paper towel incentives?
* No tax on EV road usage ?

If you add all of that up - I'm pretty sure it would out weigh what is spent on any refineries...?

When will you understand - not everyone wants an EV. I think that in certain situations EV's are great (inner city in particular). What you don't seem to understand (or simply cannot accept) is that people want CHOICE. It's plain and simple - I'll buy one if it suits my needs. I don't want the government to force one on me, because THEY think that I should have one.

Originally Posted by grey_ghost

I don't have facts and figures available - so my comment is based guesswork.

But how much money is the government pumping into:

* Solar farms?
* Wind Farms?
* Tax breaks for these 'green' companies?
* Giving money to Woolworths for an electric truck fleet?
* Incentives for EV's ?
* Solar panel incentives?
* Heat pump incentives?
* LED light upgrade incentives?
* Hand dryer instead of paper towel incentives?
* No tax on EV road usage ?

If you add all of that up - I'm pretty sure it would out weigh what is spent on any refineries...?

When will you understand - not everyone wants an EV. I think that in certain situations EV's are great (inner city in particular). What you don't seem to understand (or simply cannot accept) is that people want CHOICE. It's plain and simple - I'll buy one if it suits my needs. I don't want the government to force one on me, because THEY think that I should have one.

I would again like to reiterate my position. The best environmental outcome is to drive what you currentlly have. If you need a new car, consider an EV. Have a real hard objective look and see if one can do what you need. That's my position.

My position also is that australia used to happily live and get by using sedans wagons and small cars. I'm a bit like Han Solo in Star wars when he gets frozen and he wakes up and "everry has delusions of grandeur". I'm like "everyone now thinks they are the outdoor type and absolutely needs a 4x4 SUV/ute.. WTF". This is nothing new but people don't seem to buy very objectively... let's just say that.

Re the fossil fuel subsidies.. I haven't got time to go into the totals that right now and you'd probably all just say "that's b@#$@" anyway, so I'll give you the AI overview. I think there are a lot of things that don't really get talked about that just add up. Buying coal power stations, maintenance etc. Spending money to keep a railway going from a coal mine to a power station just doesn't generate clicks...

The Australian government spends significantly more on
subsidies for fossil fuels than for green technology. In the 2024-25 financial year, fossil fuel subsidies from all Australian governments totalled approximately $14.9 billion, while support for green tech, although substantial, is lower in annual terms.

How about the circa 50cents per litre tax on fuel?
EVs are FBT exempt and users do not have to keep log books. My son also got $20K subsidy for his enormous solar panel and 40KWH battery system to charge the EV.

Also I am watching the Ampol charging station with 4 DC chargers at my local shopping centre. I estimate about4-6 cars a day use it. Take a while to justify the capital cost, but hey the government is paying for it.

The capital cost for four EV chargers in Australia varies significantly based on the charger type (Level 2 AC vs. DC Fast Chargers) and installation complexity, ranging from approximately $14,000 to over $460,000 for the hardware and installation combined.

I estimate the DC chargers are near the top end as cables had to laid an extensive switching panel built and the chargers fitted . So every time an EV is charged at those chargers there is an enormous subsidy.

• Federal Funding: In August 2024, Ampol secured $100 million (as a loan) from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to roll out another 200 public DC fast-charging bays by 2025.
• State Funding: They also received funding from the NSW Government's Drive Electric Program for more chargers in NSW.
• Project: These initiatives fall under the AMPCharge network, with chargers often located at existing Ampol forecourts and destination sites.
• Challenges: Grid connection approvals and landowner issues have slowed the rollout, impacting targets.

$100million for 200 chargers is $500k each. I bet the loan will never be repaid.
AmpCharge fast charger fees in Australia are typically around $0.69 per kWh for 150kW DC charging, though prices can vary by location and time (on/off-peak), with potential idle/reservation fees, and discounts available via the AmpolCard for business fleets (4c/kWh off). You find exact costs and pay through the Ampol app, which offers various payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, plus streamlined invoicing for business users.

regards PhilipA

Originally Posted by PhilipA

How about the circa 50cents per litre tax on fuel?
EVs are FBT exempt and users do not have to keep log books. My son also got $20K subsidy for his enormous solar panel and 40KWH battery system to charge the EV.

Also I am watching the Ampol charging station with 4 DC chargers at my local shopping centre. I estimate about4-6 cars a day use it. Take a while to justify the capital cost, but hey the government is paying for it.



I estimate the DC chargers are near the top end as cables had to laid an extensive switching panel built and the chargers fitted . So every time an EV is charged at those chargers there is an enormous subsidy.

$100million for 200 chargers is $500k each. I bet the loan will never be repaid.
AmpCharge fast charger fees in Australia are typically around $0.69 per kWh for 150kW DC charging, though prices can vary by location and time (on/off-peak), with potential idle/reservation fees, and discounts available via the AmpolCard for business fleets (4c/kWh off). You find exact costs and pay through the Ampol app, which offers various payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, plus streamlined invoicing for business users.

regards PhilipA

Are you sure the government is paying for that?

In QLD the government is only funding chargers in out of the way places. The "Electric superhighway". Ampol have chargers, BP have chargers but the government isn't funding them. Commercial business with something else to sell. I'm pretty sure that's how that's happening here.

To be honest, Brisbane for a city of multiple millions has jack all public charging stations. Like serioulsy only a handful. It shows that at this juncture most people that are buying EV's are charging at home. It would probably help EV uptake if there were more public chargers - but the room in here is no one thinks the government should be funding it. So a bit like chicken and egg. I'm told that when ICE cars first came out you had to buy petrol in tins from pharmacies.

I have seen chargers at BP and Ampol but I've never noted anyone using them because I only go to fuel stations in brisbane a couple of times a year. If that.

EDIT: Fun fact.. when I got the car I subscribed to a few charging cards because I thought I would need them. I did try two public chargers. One of them was a BP. I was suprised to know that if I'm filling my petrol car I can't touch a phone while doing it. But if I want to charge my EV which is right next to all the bowsers - the only way I can do it is on my phone.
EDIT2: I shouldn't have bothered with the cards, never used them.

I wouldn’t normally recommend John Cadogen, far less link to him, but his recent video on EV sales is probably worth a watch if you can stomach him.

Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

I love this thread. I provide stuff like this. And people just say "no.. that's rubbish. I refuse to accecpt this reality".

I think a lot of your posts question your grasp of reality !


Colin

Originally Posted by gromit

I think a lot of your posts question your grasp of reality !


Colin

Unfortunately, many people confuse zeitgeist with reality. But zeitgeist changes like the weather. Reality does not.