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Sustainable solutions: Gift yourself and the planet an EV
Gift yourself and the planet an EV this Christmas
It’ll soon be Christmas. Why not treat yourself or your partner to an electric vehicle and take advantage of the Clean Car Discount that came into effect earlier this year?
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A discount of up to $8,625 is available off the price of new and used EV and plug-in hybrid imports (until March 31, 2022). And if you own an EV, you won’t need to pay road user charges until March 31, 2024, a saving of around $800 per year. (Check out more details about the Clean Car Discount at .https://www.rightcar.co.nz/clean-car-discount.)
An EV is a great investment. The first key fact is that you are helping the planet. Transport makes up around 48% of our energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. EVs emit 80% less CO2 than an equivalent petrol vehicle when being driven in New Zealand because electricity generated here is typically at least 80% renewable (mostly from hydro, geothermal and wind).
Battery-powered EVs are responsible for 60% less climate-changing emissions over their full life cycle compared to petrol vehicles, even when you take into account raw material extraction, battery manufacture, vehicle manufacture and shipping.
I can personally vouch that owning an electric car is a game changer. I have owned a Nissan Leaf Generation 2 for about 18 months, bought as a second hand Japanese import with a remaining battery life of around 85%, and it’s been a sound decision.
I love that I’m not compromising our fragile environment and that I’m not paying for petrol, especially with the latest increases. The electricity cost for EV charging equates to around 40c per litre.
I work close to home, so on the days that I’m not cycling to work, I take the EV. For short trips it is absolutely ideal as commuting is where it comes into its own, costing nothing in fuel and using minimal power when stuck in traffic jams.
And did I mention power! My Leaf is a gutsy little beast and in a 50km area it can be challenging to keep it below the speed limit. When you need speed it has incredible acceleration, just eating our Titirangi hills. Regulating your speed in an EV is definitely a learning curve.
Investing in an electric vehicle can be more expensive up front, but as the running costs are a lot lower, over time, it works out cheaper. An EV might also save you $5000 a year in petrol, so in four years you could pay off your secondhand car in fuel savings.
In terms of maintenance, there have been no costs in the 18 months I have owned my EV, compared to the annual service on my Honda Fit which cost around $700-$800 each time.
Charging my Leaf at home works well, as our carport is right by a shed where I can plug the charger in, getting about 10-15% charge per hour on a standard 240V socket. The charger is portable so you can take it with you if you go away overnight. If you're a Mercury power customer, you could get 20% off your electricity usage between 9pm and 7am every night. To find out if you’re eligible visit https://www.mercury. co.nz/e-transport/evs/why-an-ev/ev-fuel-package. We typically get up to a $20 credit on our monthly bill. When you’re out and about, top up while you’re doing something else. Slow charging is usually free but can take several hours. You can find slow chargers at some shopping centres, hotels and tourist attractions but you’ll need your own supply lead. Fast Chargers can add around 100km of range to the battery in 20-30 minutes. They typically cost about $10 per 100km. If you’re in a hurry, use the 80% charge option which will take about 15 minutes. The last 20% of the battery takes longer to charge. Create an account online with ChargeNet or Chargemaster and once signed up, you can access the fast charging
EVs are responsible network and enjoy easy billing and payment. for 60% less climate An essential app for the EV owner is Plugshare which shows you where all the charge stations changing emissions are. (It is not a good idea to use fast charging too over their full life cycle often as it could reduce battery life.) compared to petrol I always plan to recharge my vehicle after around 100km (range anxiety is a real thing!) so vehicles. you need to factor in your combined destination and return distance if you are on a big day out. The Leaf is less ideal on longer trips, but all good if you have time to kill. We once took ours to Ohakune for a weekend, but had to map out the route to ensure we had sufficient charge stops. It took eight charger stops each way (and a full charge at the destination), costing around $58 each way with substantially more time involved, meaning we broke up the trip by staying with friends en route both ways. The upside is stopping every 100km or so allows you a regular pit stop and if you are like me and get sleepy after a few hours driving, an enforced stop is a good thing. You seldom have to wait to charge your vehicle, even at holiday times, and if you do, it’s generally a short wait. I hope you consider switching to electric. Since making my change to an EV I wouldn’t go back although, if it was our only vehicle, I would probably invest in one with a higher range. Newer and more expensive EVs have a much higher range. A PHEV (a plug-in hybrid) would also reduce the time taken on a long trip. Although the EV has lower running costs than a PHEV, the latter covers greater distances than its battery range and is a better option if you are using your car regularly for a mix of long and short trips. Wondering what type of EV to buy? Check out https://www.mercury. co.nz/e-transport/evs/buy-an-ev where Mercury compares different brands with estimates of annual fuel savings. To find out more about EVs and PHEVs visit https://genless.govt.nz/ for-everyone/on-the-move/consider-electric-vehicles/which-ev-is-forme/.
Bethells Beach Cottages natural luxury for humans being
213 – 215 Woodlands Park Road, Titirangi, Auckland 0604 Phone: 09 817 8495 or 09 817 6188
www.kenturnermotors.co.nz
Love Dances in the Beauty of Nature
When you stay at Bethells Beach Cottages you become one with the elements. The sights and sounds of nature will awaken your passionate spirit and time will cease to exist. Whether walking on the beach, relaxing in your cottage or sitting in the hot tub watching the sun set you will know that love is everywhere but here it fl ows a little more easily.
