Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Most EVs available on the Australian market cost upwards of $40,000. While EVs currently cost more than their petrol fueled equivalents, the price gap is closing quickly.

The second hand EV car market is starting up, which is also great news for costs. The Good Car Company is worth checking out – they offer access to quality new, pre-owned and imported EVs and even offer EV bulk buys. 

Evenergi has built a cost comparison tool with funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. It gives you a basic understanding of the comparative costs of owning an electric vehicle in Australia, with and without home home batteries and/or solar panels.

 It’s estimated that it costs 1/10th to run an EV compared to your current car. It is predicted that ICE (internal combustion engines – which most of us have now) will be at price parity with EVs in 2026. Additionally, EVs are expected to drop to around 80% of the price of their petrol counterparts. (https://thedriven.io/2023/07/09/why-electric-cars-are-already-almost-cheaper-than-petrol-peers/)

The Electric Vehicle Council estimates that the average cost of fuel for an ICE internal-combustion engine vehicle is $1.50 per litre, compared to electric cars, which cost the equivalent of 0.33c per litre. (https://www.carsguide.com.au/ev/advice/do-electric-cars-actually-save-you-money-83060)

The latest average payback period is 5-7 years depending on the cost of your car. 

PROS

• Decreases emissions and is good for the planet

• State and Federal Government rebates are available now

• If you have rooftop solar panels, you may be able to charge your car for free!

• Very low maintenance. No more expensive car servicing

• Removes bowser shock – as you’re not at the mercy of fuel prices

• No more stops at the servo!

CONS

• Initial outlay is $40,000 upwards

• If you don’t have home charging, you need to go to charging stations

• A home charger can be installed, but for example Tesla’s wallcharger will cost you $750

• On rainy days, your solar panels will not produce as much electricity meaning you may have to charge off the grid

• Finding conveniently placed charging stations is still a work in progress

Well in fact, a hybrid is technically an EV. Let’s break the different types of electrical vehicles down here: 

BEVs (Battery Electric vehicles) are vehicles that use electric motors powered by a battery. Like Teslas or Polestars. Battery sizes commonly range from 40 to 80 kWh (Kilowatt hours). 

HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) are vehicles with an ICE (internal combustion engine powered by using petrol or diesel) with a supplementary electric motor/s and battery. Typically, the battery is small (< 2kWh) and self-charging by the ICE and the electric motor’s regenerative braking action when going downhill (you can’t plug a HEV in to charge). Examples of these include the Toyota rav4 Hybrid or the Nissan Leaf. 

PHEVs (Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) are hybrid vehicles with a larger battery (10–20 kWh) that can be charged by grid electricity like a BEV. The batteries in PHEVs deliver 40-80 kms of pure electric driving before the ICE motor takes over. 

Vehicle-to-grid describes a system in which plug-in electric vehicles sell demand response electricity to the grid. 

V2G directs the charging and discharging of electric-vehicle batteries in accordance with users’ needs and the grid’s supply of available electricity. When electricity supply exceeds demand (notably during peak periods of renewable energy production), charging your EV occurs at the maximum level; however, during peak electricity demand, vehicles can then supply electricity into the grid.

V2H is when a bidirectional EV charger is used to supply power (electricity) from an EV battery to a house or, possibly, another kind of building.

V2H, or vehicle-to-home, uses smart EV charging and bidirectional (two way) charging to transfer energy stored in the battery of a parked electrical vehicle (EV) to the home, to reduce reliance on the grid and act as a backup power source during outages. The battery in an EV could keep a home or small business running for several days. Homeowners living in areas where utilities offer variable pricing can use V2H to reduce their electric bills by tapping the EV battery for power during peak demand times when electricity from the grid is most costly. This is being trialled in Europe but we don’t have it in Australia yet.

The State and Federal government are both offering rebates for those keen to purchase EVs. Our friends down in Thirroul (Electrify 2515) have collated an easy-to-follow guide to the rebate schemes.

According to the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia – new EVs under $50,000 have a range capacity of about 480 kms. More expensive EVs tend to go further. So charging can happen daily when you get home, or for some households, once a week is enough.

Manufacturers are also continuing to improve battery technology, with better driving ranges. Eg. Zeekr, the premium brand of the Geely group and a stablemate of Volvo and Polestar, has begun delivering its 001 model which boasts a world-leading driving range of more than 1,000kms (https://thedriven.io/2023/05/19/zeekr-begins-deliveries-of-its-001-ev-with-world-leading-1000-km-range/)

Also Governments are starting to recognise the need to invest in charging infrastructure, even in regional locations, so the great Aussie road trip is already possible in your EV.

It’s believed that most EVs have a lifespan of 15 – 20 years. But the battery within the car can have a second life – as a home battery to power your home!

According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, your Tesla batteries are supposed to last for 300,000 to 500,000 miles, or 1,500 battery cycles. That's around 22 to 37 years for an average person’s use. (https://ev-lectron.com/blogs/blog/how-long-does-a-tesla-battery-last)

Evidence from insurance data confirms fires in EVs are far less frequent than fires involving ICE (internal combustion engines – that power non-EV). New battery manufacturing and management is actively being explored to reduce fire risks even further.

EVs fires are also fundamentally different to ICE fires. EV fires tend to burn slower than ICE fires, but are harder to extinguish as batteries are firmly sealed and challenging to access and cool. 

BEVs have zero emissions when being driven. However, they do add to overall emissions when the battery is charged using fossil fuel grid electricity, as opposed to the clean energy generated from your rooftop solar panels. 

And, like ICE vehicles, they have a manufacturing supply chain that requires mining and industrial processes that currently add to emissions. But overall studies confirm BEVs are considerably less emissions intensive than ICE vehicles.

For Australia the lowest emissions BEVs will be found in Tasmania and South Australia where grid electricity has the highest level of renewable power generation. As well, BEVs charged with household solar panels can help minimise driving emissions. 

We’d recommend you come to one of our EV info sessions or connect with one of your Bundeena neighbours with an EV. Ask lots of questions, take some EVs for a test drive. And consider installing rooftop solar panels on your home if you haven’t already, to maximise your cost savings and minimise your environmental impact. 

If you’re interested in trying out an EV you could consider hiring one. For example, Australian car rental company EVEE has a large range of EVs to hire.