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The calculation is based on an interest rate of 10% per year for a 3-year period, with no deposits. This budget tool is only used as a guide and starting point, and is by no means a financial quotation. Please see here for our website terms.

With the increase in sales of electric vehicles, Tesla's Model 3 almost occupied the top spot in September, and new electric vehicles were launched almost every month (Mazda MX-30, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Toyota bZ4X, etc.) , The learning curve is still steep.

In August, we dealt with EV FAQs, electric vehicle charging, big questions and answers, we covered the basic terminology between BEV, PHEV and hybrid, and we thought about how much and how long public chargers can be used for free, Researched Type 1 and Type 2 plugs, it is safe to charge in the rain.

In October, we introduced the etiquette of electric vehicles, from parking in a pure electric vehicle to hovering and unplugging others while waiting. 

This time, we are back with a few frequently asked questions, thanks to our friends at ChargeMaster, an expert in EV chargers and components, who sell a series of home EV fast chargers, commercial chargers and accessories, such as cables, adapters and portables charger.

How long does it take to fill a container with water? Is it a water glass or a swimming pool? Are you using a garden hose or a fire hose? How empty is the container?

Many factors affect the charging speed of electric vehicles, such as the kWh size of the battery (larger ones take longer, PHEV batteries are smaller than BEV), and power supply: from a 1.2kWh portable charger socket plugged into a three-pin wall, Super charger up to 300kW.

No, Hyper Charger is not always 250 times faster than portable chargers mathematically, because it also depends on the vehicle’s maximum charge acceptance rate, which ranges from 3.7kW (Mitsubishi Outlander on home chargers) to 110kW (Mersey Mercedes-Benz EQC on Des-Public Charger) or 270kW (Porsche Taycan/Audi GT on Hyper Charger).

For a wide range of charger comparisons, ChargeMaster cited the time to increase the range by 100 kilometers, from 10 hours for a home trickle charger to only 4 minutes for a 350kW super charger.

Currently, the purchase cost of PHEV/BEV is higher than that of ICE vehicles, but the price gap is narrowing. The cost of electricity per 100 kilometers is much lower than that of gasoline/diesel. We recently studied the specific cost of ownership and return distance/period of ownership to achieve financial significance, namely electric vehicles and gasoline power. Of course, electricity is not free, so the operation of electric vehicles will incur costs, but it is only a small part of the cost of gasoline.

The maintenance cost of electric vehicles is also lower, because there is no need to change the oil, fewer moving parts need to be worn and replaced, and even the brake life is extended due to regenerative braking.

Over the years, the battery capacity has gradually decreased, which only affects the distance you can travel when fully charged. Newer battery management technology is significantly reducing the rate of capacity loss. For example, some Teslas reported a loss of only 5% after 100,000 kilometers, and a total loss of 10% after driving 300,000 kilometers.

For more information, please refer to our story: Electric Vehicles and Gasoline Power: Are BEVs Really That Low Cost of Running?

Electric vehicles in New Zealand still account for only 2% of annual new car sales, and considering the number of used cars on the road, it is still only a small part of the increased load. The impact of electric vehicles on household electricity consumption is almost impossible to measure. Smart chargers for electric vehicles give priority to household necessities (lights, heating, etc.).

When there is excess capacity for clean power generation, most people and companies will charge their electric cars at night. Many power companies even offer lower overnight electricity prices to encourage this use.

Not everyone will buy an electric car tomorrow, so there is time to increase power generation (as always) to support the growing areas of demand. With the growth of New Zealand’s population and sales of electric vehicles, important wind and solar projects will support increasing daytime consumption.

More and more electric vehicles can act as storage batteries, provide auxiliary power during a power outage, return power to the home or the grid during a power outage to smooth peak demand, and then further charge when demand is low.

Thanks: ChargeMaster.co.nz

The calculation is based on an interest rate of 10% per year for a 3-year period, with no deposits. This budget tool is only used as a guide and starting point, and is by no means a financial quotation. Please see here for our website terms.

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