Electric vehicles are poised for world domination. Photo: Ted Baghurst
Electric vehicles are poised for world domination. Photo: Ted Baghurst
Element goes for a spin in the newest pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids
Back in 1990, a US telco conducted a study which forecasted the company's potential mobile phone sales over the next decade at 100,000 units. By 2000 they had sold 100 million.
That's what happens when a sexy new technology marries an absolute, unarguable practicality.
I'm going to come right out and say it: the electric vehicle (EV) market will follow a similar trajectory.
OK, it's a hunch, but it's backed up by a fortnight of driving a number of EVs over the past weeks. I now have a feel for their performance, range, running costs, maintenance and feel-good factor. More, I can see the possibilities.
The vehicles reviewed here are an elite bunch, and financially out of reach for most of us. Then again, so were the first black and white TVs back in the day. The great thing about top-of-the-range technology, however, is that it provides a glimpse into what will soon be available to all - just like the mobile phone.
Every car maker on the planet is in the race to produce EVs which go further and faster, more efficiently, than the generation before.
It's happening at astonishing speed, with regular breakthroughs, particularly in the area of the vehicles' batteries.
It's no longer hobbit-like men in dimly lit garages developing this technology- the heavyweights are getting involved. Tesla founder Elon Musk and his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive of Solar City are currently building the world's largest battery plant in Buffalo, US, and just last week tech darling Dyson announced it was joining the fray by claiming it was working on a battery which would propel a car for 1000km on a single charge. The news last month that Apple is rumoured to be developing an electric vehicle should, alone, be enough to prime the market for an avalanche of EV sales if and when that car comes to fruition.
Consider this: the average Kiwi spends around $2500 on petrol each year, with perhaps another $1000 (in an exceptionally good year) on maintenance. Keep your car for ten years - that's $35,000 on running costs.
Studies show that both running and maintenance costs of pure EVs are about 1/5th of their petrol-powered cousins - that's $7,000 over ten years. Which works out to $28,000 in the difference over the decade you might hold onto your car.
Right now, then, if you could purchase an EV for $48k, you're purchasing the equivalent of a $20,000 petrol model - as long as petrol prices stay as they are. Unlikely. How long will it be until an EV retails for under $50k, under $40k, under $30k? Not long, methinks.
Meanwhile, feast your eyes on the future...
Porsche Cayenne SE-hybrid photographed in Auckland for Element Magazine. 23 March 2015 NZ Herald photo by Ted Baghurst.
Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
It looks like Porsche might be getting series about electrical energy powering its cars. A couple of its flagships - the $1.7m 918 Spyder (two of which are on the boat here, eagerly awaited by excited buyers) and the Panamera E-Hybrid now boast a gleaming 130kg lithium ion battery, and that drive train has also been implanted into the popular Cayenne to become the S E-Hybrid.
The result is a machine which will travel around 30km on a full charge, or deliver an extra 95 horsepower to the Cayenne's 333 horsepower combustion engine.
As a driver presses the throttle, it graduates up through the stages - from all-electric driving, to combustion engine only, to 'boost' mode, where the whole lot joins forces to give you the push you'd expect from a vehicle from this iconic brand's range - and a speed of 100km/h in under six seconds. Even when the battery is depleted enough is left so that the drive isn't left without the boost when it's needed.
Torque is delivered to all four wheels whether driving under electric power or engine via the limited-slip center differential with a rear-biased (58-per cent) torque distribution. Much of the time the combustion engine is unnecessary, with a top speed gained purely from the electric engine (provided you don't go too heavy on the gas) of 123km/h.
That 30km will cover 95% of New Zealanders' average commute each day, leaving the engine lying in wait purely for longer drives on the weekend which, frankly, is a treat you'd look forward to after a week of jostling around the city in a car which offers so much on the open road, or indeed off it.
Otherwise, the car is exactly the same as the latest petrol and diesel Cayennes, bar the colour scheme. The hybridisation of this vehicle is announced with a fluorescent green which pops up unexpectedly in different places on the vehicle, including the brake calipers and, dial needles and the hybrid badge on the side on the car.
As well as the necessary charging equipment, Porsche deliver a stylish wallbox as standard - a nice touch considering this often comes with an additional charge. From a regular three-point plug the battery will be full in four and a half hours, which comes down to 2.7 hours with the industrial unit. Expect an onboard fast charge function to be available soon, which brings it down to 1.3 hours. That's not bad going for 30km of E travel.
Audi A3 - e-tron. Photo: supplied
Audi e-tron
The plug-in hybrid Audi A3 e-tron went on sale in New Zealand last month.
With a 50km electric-only range, it comfortably covers the average Kiwi's commute - about 35km a day - before the petrol engine kicks in.
An interesting aside to the launch is a partnership with Mighty River Power and retailer Mercury Energy which allows e-tron owners signed up with Mercury to receive a 30 per cent discount on off-peak power (11pm-7am), which brings the cost of a full charge down to about $1.
Charging the A3 e-tron can be done from a standard three-pin, 10-amp wall socket, which takes just under four hours. Install a 16-amp supply and that drops to 2 hours 15 minutes.
Customers dubious about the technology will be reassured by the 160,000km/eight-year warranty for the batteries. It also has 96 individual cells which can be replaced individually.
Regrettably I was unable to test this car, but Herald writer Colin Smith articulately describes its handling: "In terms of performance the A3 e-tron responds like you'd expect of a front-drive hatchback boasting a maximum combined output rated at 150kW and an impressive 350Nm of torque. It uses a modified version of the six-speed dual clutch S-tronic transmission and has 0-100 km/h acceleration in a brisk 7.6 seconds. "The A3 e-tron accelerates strongly and the immediate 330Nm electric motor torque delivery from standstill gives it impressive response. The top speed in electric mode is 130 km/h and 222 km/h in hybrid mode."
"You can select from electric mode, hybrid auto mode which includes recuperative charging, a charge mode - which recharges the battery using the engine while driving - and hold mode which lets the e-tron run on petrol and save its battery charge for later in the journey.
Tesla model S. Photo: Ted Baghurst.
Tesla Model S
When rumours spread about Apple creating an electric vehicle, pundits immediately said it would give Tesla a run for its money. That's the regard in which this American car maker is held around the world.
There are just six in New Zealand, and there's no showroom. A Tesla must be ordered from the factory and shipped here, like a book from Amazon you've never read.
After travelling in one, I've come to the conclusion that the risk of not liking it when it arrives is low to non-existant. It certainly didn't disappoint owner Steve West, and was part of his inspiration for kicking of Charge.net.nz, a new network of EV rapid charge points in cities across the country (see sidebar).
The latest iteration is the Model S P85D, which boasts 515kW of power. It's the reason it has an 'insane' setting, which will bring it from a standstill to 100km/h in 3.1 seconds. So new that there isn't one here yet, we had to make do with the P85+, which performs the feat in 3.9 seconds.
The first thing that comes to the attention is the room. Open the bonnet, and there's a half wine barrel's worth of room in there - enough for a picnic hamper and a lilo. Open the boot, and there's so much room the '+' model has an upgrade option of putting two more fold out seats in there for the kids.
There's no central tunnel in the car at all. It's extraordinarily spacious.
The touch screen computer console on the dash is the size of, well, a computer screen - a normal one. The result is that there's barely a button to be seen anyway. Tesla would hate this, but it's like a giant iPhone, from which absolutely everything can be controlled. It's hard not to feel like Capt. James Kirk.
The Tesla Model S may also be the safest car ever made. It aced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's test, and actually broke a machine attempting to crush its roof.
At $180,000 for this model, it ain't cheap, but nor should it be.
BMW i8. Photo: Ted Baghurst.
BMW i-series The simultaneous launch of the BMW i-series - a sports car - the i8, and a hatchback (i3) powered to differing degrees by electric motors is a statement of intent that the German automotive maker means business in this space.
With a brand of cars which rarely disappoint in terms of style and performance, it was always unlikely that the driving experience of the i8 and the i3 wouldn't be totally awesome. And so it proved. What did come as a complete surprise, however, was that I would end up liking the i3 hatchback more than the rocket-fast (0-100 in under six seconds) and sporty i8.
So, the i8 first. It's electric for the first 37km only, after which the petrol engine will fling it happily along the road for the next 563km - although it's worth noting its astonishing fuel consumption figures - 2.1l/100km. It's incredible that its 1.5l, three cylinder engine can propel it with such power and enthusiasm, and it's pure frustration adhering to the speed limit. This car cries out for the European autobahn or the racetrack. In electric mode, it purrs along silently like an drowsy cat, but engage the engine and it roars like a lion.
BMW i3. Photo:Ted Baghurst.
Next, the i3: Stepping into this car feels like the future. Unlike the i8, the i3 has diverged completely from its traditional dash. A small high-resolution TV-sized screen feels like the talking computer brains from a sci-fi show, a feeling which is only heightened when the navigation is engaged. It's all softened, however, by the timber veneer dash (an optional extra), which somehow gels perfectly with the black carbon fibre mesh and the electric blue, tan and cream colour scheme.
Almost to the same degree as the i8, the i3 draws a lot of attention - by its great looks, thin but large circumference wheels but, mostly, when it zips away from the slack-jawed boy racers at the lights with nothing more than the quiet whine of its powerful electric motor (0-100 in 7.2 seconds).
The Herald motoring editor nearly ran out of electrons on the autobahn in this car - something to do with a 130km/h average speed and air conditioning on full but, in the knowledge that the NZ models have a 9-litre petrol tank fueling a 650cc two-cylinder electricity generating engine as a range extender, the anxiety of being stranded somewhere is non-existent.
The i3 retains some semblance of practicality which the i8 doesn't have (and obviously hasn't aimed for) purely by virtue of the spacious interior and even a little boot space. It seems that the standard test is to see if you can fit your golf clubs in it but, not being a golfer, I'm looking for storage for two children and lots of assorted other stuff. Of course only the i3 delivers here.
This is going to sound ridiculous but, if I were offered either car free, I'd take the i3. With seat covers. That cream unholstery wouldn't last a day under the onslaught of children. The i3 has a drive away price from $83,500 and the i8 is priced from $278,000.
Volvo XC90. Photo: supplied
Volvo XC90 Alongside the Volvo Ocean Race yachts forced to wait out Cyclone Pam in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour was the latest land-lubbing showpiece from the auto company - the plug-in hybrid XC90.
Try as I might to get a test drive in this car, it wasn't to be. I had a good look around it, though, and was impressed. It's claimed to be the world's first plug-in hybrid seven seater SUV, which effectively removes another barrier from EV uptake - that of capacity (although, while not a seven seater, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Tesla Model S and Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid do well on this score too).
The first of the production vehicles is already on sale, but you won't see your new wheels until June, when they arrive off the boat. It's not cheap, at $134,900, but it's unashamedly targeted at the premium end of the market, and designed to take on the BMWs and Mercedes of the world.
The XC90 features a two-litre petrol engine, and a 60kW electric engine. When applied together, this SUV will reach 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.
The driver can choose one of three options - electric only 'pure' mode, 'hybrid' mode or 'power' mode - which provides the aforementioned acceleration.
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Photo: supplied
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) is the car that the average Joe might imagine buying second hand a few years from now.
Brand new this vehicle will set you back $60k - an extra $15k on top of the price of the petrol-only model, but you can expect to save at least $2500 a year on running costs. Where Mitsubishi has really succeeded here is in ensuring that the transition for customers to an EV is as painless and easy as possible. The 52km electric-only range is generous for a plug-in hybrid - covering not only the NZ average commute but a couple of trips to the shops as well - while you can pack the kids and the kitchen sink for a road trip without a second thought. In terms of pure practicality, the PHEV is currently peerless in New Zealand.
Rough calculations show that the electricity required to re-charge the PHEV could be supplied from just 1kW of solar panels (four average 250W panels) during sunlight hours, which would reduce weekday running costs to zero.
Herald car reviewer Damien O'Carrol described the PHEV's handling: "It weighs more than a standard Outlander, but with all that weight down in the drivetrain it actually improves the Outlander's handling. The extra weight also improves the feel of the Outlander on the road. The extra grunt from the electric motors is felt as well, with Mitsubishi's claim that the PHEV is also the performance model of the Outlander range certainly holding true on the road."
Fast charging network Tesla owner Steve West is into EVs in a big way. He owns a Nissan Leaf and two Teslas - a Roadster and a Model S - with another, the latest Model S P85D (the one with the 'insane' mode), on the way.
He has also launched charge.net.nz, an initiative which will install a nation-wide network of Rapid Chargers that let any EV owner quickly fill their 'tank', typically in 10-25 minutes.
Owners will be charged by the minute from the (initial) 23 charging stations, with an estimate of a 25-minute charge costing around $10.
The roll-out begins in June 2015.
West's initiative has somewhat taken the wind from the sails of the Electricity Networks Association (ENA), which this month announced it is conducting a scoping study for a 'Renewables Highway', with the same end goal as charge.net.nz.
The ENA has formed a working group with representatives from lines companies along with Contact Energy, Mighty River Power and Drive Electric - the new face of the Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles.
On the go The PlugShare app locates the nearest EV charging station - anywhere in the world. PlugShare shows both commercial charging stations and those installed in private homes. Not shown, of course, are the millions of three point plugs in homes and businesses around New Zealand - also suitable for charging EVs, albeit slowly.
"The beauty of EVs is that it's like having a petrol station in your garage. How awesome is that? It's almost too good to be true," says Steve West, Tesla owner.
Tesla Model S Electric range: 400km 0-100km/h: 3.9 seconds Charge time: 4 hours (three-phase Type 2 fast charger); rapid charger (planned for national network - see sidebar): 1.5 hours (to 90% charge); 120km in 12 hours (standard plug) Price: $110,000 (base model)
