Top tips for buying an electric vehicle

If you can’t charge at home, there are public stations. Photo: Vector

Before you charge ahead and buy an electric vehicle, you need to plug in to some expert information so you don’t get a shock when you go hunting for an electric vehicle (okay, puns finished).

Low- and zero-emission vehicles have been around since the late 1990s, but only in the past decade have they become more than quirky talking points. Self-charging hybrid electric vehicles (like the Toyota Prius), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) such as the Mitsubishi Outlander and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) like the Tesla Model 3, have entered the mainstream – and with growing popularity comes greater choice. 

There are more than 60 new BEVs and PHEVs available for sale in New Zealand with the list increasing.

Plug-in EVs are exempt from road user charges (RUC) until the end of 2021, saving their owners $600 a year on average. The incentive is part of a Government programme that aims to see 64,000 EVs on New Zealand roads by the end of 2021.

EVs can be more expensive to buy than their petrol/diesel equivalents, especially new but the low running costs means you actually pay up front and save over the years.

The cheapest new BEV is the MG ZS at a pre-order price of $50,100 for the first 150 customers, but the majority of electric vehicles you’ll see on New Zealand road are second-hand imported Nissan Leafs.

The Tesla Model 3 is the top-selling BEV in New Zealand. Photo: Tesla

The top selling new BEV is the Tesla Model 3 (priced from $79,990) with 243 sold to date this year, followed by the Hyundai Kona ($77,990) at 135 registrations for 2020.

While it’s just about possible to run an electric car using public chargers only, it’s usually more expensive and less convenient than charging at home. While most BEVs and PHEVs can be charged using a standard three-pin plug, this really is a weapon of last resort: it will, quite literally, take all day. Actually more like all night, as most owners will garage it, plug it in and set the timer for late evening when electricity is cheaper.

Charging at home is the most convenient way to keep your vehicle ready to go. For longer trips, there are public chargers at least every 75km on most of the state motorway network in New Zealand. You’re almost never too far from your next charge, and the charging network is growing all the time, with a focus on covering major routes and increasing the numbers available.

Range anxiety tends to be the number one deterrent for people who are keen to buy a BEV but just aren’t ready to commit. The anxiety stems from the fear of grinding to a halt out on the open road and the supposed inconvenience of 40-minute recharging breaks.

The Nissan Leaf is a popular second hand model. Photo: NIssan

But as Audi’s general manager, Dean Sheed, told AutoMuse recently, it’s owners are more interested in how fast it takes to charge their vehicles, not range.

“Just look at a charge curve and cars with solid thermal management (aka an A/C system for the battery)  take charge quicker and get the owner on the road quicker so single theoretical linear range becomes less of an issue,” said Sheed.

On the up side, EVs emit 80 per cent less CO2 than an equivalent petrol vehicle when being driven in New Zealand because electricity generated here is typically at least 80 per cent renewable (mostly from hydro, geothermal and wind).