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17.01.2022 Part Four of the New Electric Vehicle Market Review for the Australian market. $40k to $60k This is where we have some choices. All three of them....Continue reading

08.01.2022 I have taken it upon myself to put together a review of the options available to Australian consumers to buy a new electric vehicle. This combines my love of cars, renewable energy technology and providing unsolicited opinion. Over the next few days I will post a review of each price point in the Australian market in $20k increments, up to $100k. Does it seem ambitious to review every option in a market segment? Spoiler alert: It’s not. There’s only six of them priced under...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Part Five of the New Electric Vehicle Market Review for the Australian market. $60-$80k Hyundai Kona EV...Continue reading

06.01.2022 Part Six of the New Electric Vehicle Market Review for the Australian market. $80k to $100k Nope, that’s it. Thanks in part to the Luxury Car Tax (intended to protect a manufacturing industry that we no longer have), there’s an almost $60,000 hole in the market. The next most affordable new EV is the Jaguar 'P-Face' - whoops I mean 'I-Pace', starting at $138,439.... Conclusion Currently, there are NO reasonably priced brand-new electric vehicle choices on our market. For those that are willing to pay the price to become an early adopter, the most sensible choices between daily usability, build quality, purchase price and driving range, the Hyundai IONIC and Nissan Leaf are the stand-out products to consider. Stretch a bit more for the Hyundai Kona EV if you prefer the SUV style of car. The average Australian daily commute is less than 20 kilometers a day . Like the iPhone, EVs don’t have a huge battery life compared to old technology alternatives (eg Nokia 6110 and internal combustion engines respectively), and like the iPhone, EVs will most likely be plugged in each evening. What this means in the real world is even mediocre battery range will be fine for daily use. Many households are a big car small car mix, and most owners would use an EV for daily duties and the big car for long distance travel. Second hand Second hand EVs are available and there are a handful of options to choose from in various price categories. Unfortunately, they are still a poor selection of what is available in other markets. Filling this niche are importation and compliance companies. An importer I spoke to stated: literally any and all EVs are eligible for import now. They still have to be applied for and tested, but if it exists somewhere in the world in right hand drive, it can be done. What this means is if you really want one that the dealers here can’t or won’t supply, you can literally buy one from an overseas dealer or second hand, let the importer wade through the bureaucracy on your behalf, and be driving it in a few months. The Future The Australian market for EVs is rather dire at the moment and will be for another year or two, but just over the horizon is a wave of fantastic new cars waiting to drag down our ageing power distribution infrastructure. Not only are these new cars styled well (apart from the Honda e that seems to have been inspired by the original Civic but also by the ‘Scooty Puff Jr’ from Futurama) they have excellent driving range and a wave of new driving technology features that will change the way we look at transport. Love it or hate it, electric vehicles are our future and not too far from now we will look back at petrol powered cars in the same way our grandparents look back at the steam era. There are always fantasy options that will never become reality (I’m looking at you, HoverBoards), but some very real and affordable products are coming our way.