EV Prices dropping
Car prices are dropping and driving ranges are increasing, as well as the ever growing public charging network. Already, there are alot of eletric plug-in hybrid models in my country and as the EV market matures, the deals on second-hand EV's are inevitably to improve.
Learning the Difference
Battery electric vehicles run on electric motor with a battery you charge by plugging in. No fossil fuels, no emissions. The bigger the battery the farther you can go before the juice runs out - and they're getting better all the time. First-generation Nissan Leafs had a range of upto 130km on a single charge; the latest model has a range of upto 400km, depending on the size of the battery pack. High-end Tesla cars will keep you going for about 500km.
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Electric Range-Extended Vehicles like the BMW i3, have a plug in battery,an electric motor and a combustion engine, The tiny petrol engine generates electricity, it doesn't drive the wheels; according to BMW the i3's extender motor increases its range to about 340km.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, run on battery for short trips upto 50km, and then switch to a petrol engine when the battery runs out of power. There is no range anxiety with these but with two engines there is more that could go wrong. One of the bonuses of an electric engine is having only about 20 moving parts, as opposed to the 2000 of a petrol or diesel engine.
Charging Ahead
Powering up an EV takes between 25 minutes and ten hours. Charging at home is simple; using a timer to charge after 11pm when electricity rates are lower is a good option.
You can charge an EV through a standard three-point socket, a home charging unit, a caravan plur, or at the slow charge or DC fast-charge stations popping up all over the country's electric highway. At a rapid-charge station, you can either top up or get a full charge, which takes around 25 minutes and costs about $7-10 per 100km; a similar cost to a conventional car.
With limited fast charging stations capable of charging only a couple of cars an hour, you could end up waiting some time. As we all know EVs are suited for short work daily commutes. And mainly in-city roads. They use about 30% less battery capacity craling along at 30km/h in traffic, than doing the same distance at 100km/h. On average australasia commute at about 29km per day, so a driving range of 100km usually does the trick for a city car.
If you're going on a longer trip, then I suggest you plan ahead on when and where you will fast-charge, and enjoy a coffee. Maybe stay overnight on a b&b and slow charge -check out. If range anxiety threatens to ruin the road trip, consider putting the accumulated fuel savings from your EV toward renting a car.
Check before you buy
Batteries don't usually fail as they age, but they do lose capacity. An eight to 10 year old battery may only have about 75% of its capacity left. That could be an issue in a car that only had a 110km range when new, but for an EV with a range over 300km, thats 75% capacity still leaves a great second vehicle for everyday running around.
Check the state of the battery's health. You can get a copy of a recent scan of the battery from most dealers, or check battery capacity on the dashboard. A new Leaf for example, wil lhave 12 bettery cars showing on the dash: 10 bars would mean the battery had about 75% charging capacity left.
I would advise that you check your plug type because plugs and connectors differ. One plug type might now be compatible with the connector at the station you want to charge up at. As such one near your work place. The solution: download the plugshare app to see where you can plug in your EV and which public slow charging AC stations have sockets suited to your EV's charging cable.
The Test Drive
Find out how an EV performs on your commute, work out your charging options, power it up at home overnight to get a good picture of the battery health and then decide whether you'll be as passionate as other EV owners about their cars. Or better yet why not rent an EV for a few days, to see how it suits?
Finally, used electric cars are still used cars, and you should follow all the normal steps before buying, get it inspected and get its history to insure it has no outstanding finance or police interest. A car safety rating should always be a part of the buying decision. If the car you're considering hasn't been rated, check what safety features it has, including ABS braking, airbags, electronic stability control and three-point seat belts in the back seat, before committing.
#Good Luck!