Eight months in, EV driver Michael Nugent couldn't be happier, except … By Michael Nugent
THIS is Buzz, an imported Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle (EV) I’ve been driving Buzz for about eight months now and I thought it was about time to fulfil the promise I made last year in the articles Crunch time (March 10, 2022) and My EV journey continues (July 21, 2022). I promised then to write about my experiences with Buzz to help others make up their minds about whether, or when, to get an EV themselves. So here goes.
Let’s start with the end in mind, and that is: after a few teething issues, I am completely happy with Buzz and wish I had bought it (Buzz identifies as gender-neutral) sooner.
THIS is Buzz, an imported Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle (EV) I’ve been driving Buzz for about eight months now and I thought it was about time to fulfil the promise I made last year in the articles Crunch time (March 10, 2022) and My EV journey continues (July 21, 2022). I promised then to write about my experiences with Buzz to help others make up their minds about whether, or when, to get an EV themselves. So here goes.
Let’s start with the end in mind, and that is: after a few teething issues, I am completely happy with Buzz and wish I had bought it (Buzz identifies as gender-neutral) sooner.
As far as comfort, handling, size, appointment, etc, go, Buzz is pretty much on par with other cars in the price range. It does have a few extra complications to contend with but it has some significant advantages too, which, for me, more than offset the complications. However, the technology is changing and there are more cars available now than when I committed to Buzz about a year ago. If buying an EV now, I would need to think again about whether to buy an imported Leaf or another type of EV.
The first and biggest complication is that you can’t fill up at any old petrol station en route, so you have to put a little thought into where you are going over the next day or two and how much charge you will need to get there. Most of the time this is as easy as plugging in at night with the car’s timer set to charge during the off-peak period (11pm -7 am for my electricity supplier). I don’t have, and don’t need, a specially fitted EV charger, so I just plug in to a standard 240v socket at home. Buzz has a range of about 320 kms, and a standard overnight charge gets about 25% of maximum charge, ie. about 80kms, which is more than enough for most days. In reality, I usually keep Buzz charged at around 50% so I can get to, say, Tooradin and back on any day without having to think about it.
Going to Melbourne and back, I need to make sure I: am over 80% when I leave; have some time to stop at a rapid charger on the way there or back; or am staying overnight and have access to a 240v socket (and take my charging cable with me). For example, I went to Melbourne on Thursday and had forgotten to charge up on Wednesday night. I had 55% “in the tank”, so simply went via the rapid charger at the Lynbrook shopping centre, just past Cranbourne, spent 20 minutes looking around while Buzz added an extra 30% and all was well.
But this introduces the second complication. Unless you never go very far from home, you will need to use a rapid charging station at some time, and not all rapid chargers are born equal: they charge at different speeds. More importantly, there are different plug types, so not all cars can use all rapid chargers. Fortunately, there are apps that make it easy to work out which stations work with your plug type and which don’t, what speed they are, and also, very importantly, whether they are broken. The rapid charger at Cape Paterson was down for several months recently – you don’t want to be relying on a top up somewhere only to find it’s out of order.
Thinking about the plug type is important when selecting what EV to buy. I got a Leaf because its plug type (called CHAdeMO) allows for bi-directional charging, ie. using the car as a home battery at night or during blackouts, which other plug types don’t … yet. BUT, although bi-directional is technically possible and works overseas, it is not yet allowed in Victoria. South Australia has just brought it on board, and I’m hoping Victoria will soon too. The thing is that CHAdeMO plugs are less common at rapid charging stations, so I have fewer places to charge than cars with the more popular “CCS2” plug type; AND it looks like changes in technology will enable bidirectional charging through CCS2 plugs some time soonish. So it may be that, in a few years, Buzz’s CHAdeMO plug will be old fashioned.
This is the next complication: which car to choose and when to jump in. Changes in technology and (glacial) changes in government policy mean that different EV brands and models are becoming available, prices are falling while ranges are increasing, more and faster rapid charging stations are being rolled out, etc. This changing landscape can make the decision making rather daunting. The only advice I can offer, based on my experience and speaking with others, is to:
Why are EV owners pleased with their choices? Lots of reasons (see My EV journey continues), but mainly because they know they have made a concrete step towards a better, more sustainable world, especially if they are charging their car direct from their own solar panels.
The far lower fuel and maintenance costs also put a smile on the dial every time they pass a petrol station, especially as the price of petrol increases.
The first and biggest complication is that you can’t fill up at any old petrol station en route, so you have to put a little thought into where you are going over the next day or two and how much charge you will need to get there. Most of the time this is as easy as plugging in at night with the car’s timer set to charge during the off-peak period (11pm -7 am for my electricity supplier). I don’t have, and don’t need, a specially fitted EV charger, so I just plug in to a standard 240v socket at home. Buzz has a range of about 320 kms, and a standard overnight charge gets about 25% of maximum charge, ie. about 80kms, which is more than enough for most days. In reality, I usually keep Buzz charged at around 50% so I can get to, say, Tooradin and back on any day without having to think about it.
Going to Melbourne and back, I need to make sure I: am over 80% when I leave; have some time to stop at a rapid charger on the way there or back; or am staying overnight and have access to a 240v socket (and take my charging cable with me). For example, I went to Melbourne on Thursday and had forgotten to charge up on Wednesday night. I had 55% “in the tank”, so simply went via the rapid charger at the Lynbrook shopping centre, just past Cranbourne, spent 20 minutes looking around while Buzz added an extra 30% and all was well.
But this introduces the second complication. Unless you never go very far from home, you will need to use a rapid charging station at some time, and not all rapid chargers are born equal: they charge at different speeds. More importantly, there are different plug types, so not all cars can use all rapid chargers. Fortunately, there are apps that make it easy to work out which stations work with your plug type and which don’t, what speed they are, and also, very importantly, whether they are broken. The rapid charger at Cape Paterson was down for several months recently – you don’t want to be relying on a top up somewhere only to find it’s out of order.
Thinking about the plug type is important when selecting what EV to buy. I got a Leaf because its plug type (called CHAdeMO) allows for bi-directional charging, ie. using the car as a home battery at night or during blackouts, which other plug types don’t … yet. BUT, although bi-directional is technically possible and works overseas, it is not yet allowed in Victoria. South Australia has just brought it on board, and I’m hoping Victoria will soon too. The thing is that CHAdeMO plugs are less common at rapid charging stations, so I have fewer places to charge than cars with the more popular “CCS2” plug type; AND it looks like changes in technology will enable bidirectional charging through CCS2 plugs some time soonish. So it may be that, in a few years, Buzz’s CHAdeMO plug will be old fashioned.
This is the next complication: which car to choose and when to jump in. Changes in technology and (glacial) changes in government policy mean that different EV brands and models are becoming available, prices are falling while ranges are increasing, more and faster rapid charging stations are being rolled out, etc. This changing landscape can make the decision making rather daunting. The only advice I can offer, based on my experience and speaking with others, is to:
- make sure you do some due diligence before you buy, especially about what size battery you need and can afford because this determines how far you can travel between charges. A good starting point is the EV101 tab at https://www.goodcar.co/ - highly recommended; but,
- don’t let the unavoidable uncertainty put you off changing over to an EV asap – no matter which vehicle you choose, you will almost certainly be thrilled with your choice as is every single EV owner I’ve spoken with.
Why are EV owners pleased with their choices? Lots of reasons (see My EV journey continues), but mainly because they know they have made a concrete step towards a better, more sustainable world, especially if they are charging their car direct from their own solar panels.
The far lower fuel and maintenance costs also put a smile on the dial every time they pass a petrol station, especially as the price of petrol increases.