Electric car thread

[Jerry_Atrick]

24 minutes ago, red750 said:

Most Poms wouldn't go that far by car on their holiday.

Indeed! Reminded me of the first time SWMBO came out to Aus on holiday with me. We werein Melbourne and I decided to take her to Brown Brothers in Milawa. Sadly, she was not into flying in the big jets let alone a rented PA28, so it was to be by car. I told her we had to leave at 7am to get there by 12. She didn't believe me but went along with it anyway. not 2 hours into the trip, she was visibly frustrated, even though I still had what was a young VS commodire, which was comfy for those drives. By the time we got there, she was virtually a nervous wreck. "Who on the face of theis bloody earth travels that far by car  just for lunch.. and how f@cking big is this counrty???" 

 

Then she went and ordered roo while I had beef. Guess who ended up eating roo?

 

When we moved to Melbourne, she declined my offer of a drive to Mildura to have dinner at Stehano's. 

Edited March 7 by Jerry_Atrick

[onetrack]

Here's an interesting site where official tests of fuel consumption and EV battery range are measured accurately, and checked against the manufacturers claims.

Unsurprisingly, many of the ICE models used more fuel than advertised, and a lot of the EV's battery range claims fell well short of the manufacturers claimed range.

 

The worst offender amongst the EV's was the MG4, which recorded a shortfall of 31% in battery range, against the manufacturers claimed range.

The MG company claimed a range of 405kms, but accurate/real life testing revealed a range of only 281kms.

 

That's a world of difference, and I can't understand how MG hasn't been hauled over the coals for making false claims.

 

https://realworld.org.au/

[kgwilson]

The WLTP range for the MG Excite 51 is 350km not 405km. The WLTP range for my MG Essence 64 is 435km with the lower spec Excite 64 it is 450km. None of the models has a quoted 405km range. This is the old out dated NEDC range which was very inaccurate & was created in laboratory tests in the 1980s based on urban driving. It was last updated in 1997.

 

A friend of mine has an Excite 51 & gets over 300km. In mine the range is about 380 to 400km based on 110km highway driving & some 50  - 80 km driving. Driving around in an urban environment at 50 - 60  kmh gives me much higher range. The range estimator (also known as the guess-O-meter) has given me 505km from a full charge & that would have been close if I hadn't gone over 50kmh. It has a level of intelligence that works out the range based on your driving style & it is surprisingly accurate.

 

It is 182km from my house to Gold Coast Airport & a few weeks ago I left with 100% charge & arrived with 52%. Most of this was at 110kmh on the Pacific Highway. I could have got home without getting a charge but just like with my old petrol car I would never let the fuel get that low. I spent 15 minutes at the BP in Ballina for a comfort stop & coffee & added some charge. Cost me $9.04 but there was plenty left when I got home. Other than long trips it costs nothing to run my EV as I charge from solar, supplemented by my home battery and 3 hours of free power every day. I'll never have to worry about the price of petrol going up because of wars or other reasons for shortage.

 

In any vehicle, electric or internal combustion it all depends on how you drive, the terrain, weather, the total weight of the vehicle and use of accessories like air conditioning etc.

[nomadpete]

BYD has finished their factory in Brazil. For the local market. It saves 25 days shipping time from China.

 

Last month marked the first time BYD sold more cars abroad than in China. BYD sold 89,590 cars in China and 100,600 overseas.

 

Note that last year the same company got into legal strife for slavery. 

"Brazilian labor inspectors rescued 163 Chinese workers from the plant’s construction site, accusing their employer, a subsidiary of BYD, of subjecting them to conditions analogous to slavery."

 

Wouldn't have been a problem if they set up in Texas!

 

[facthunter]

 But they'd have bullet holes in them, and no Chinese people would be allowed in to work there, these days.  Nev

[facthunter]

This fuel situation might motivate more people to go Electric. Get in early to beat the rush and Price gouging. OR Buy a few so you can sell at a BIG profit.  Nev

[onetrack]

EV sales will rocket now, as the combination of high fuel prices, a large supply of cheaper Chinese EV's, and ever-improving batteries and range make them a no-brainer.

 

If you want an IC-engine Toyota, Toyota have "major supply constraints", and you're usually on a wait-list for a new one.

 

But the Chinese keep shipping in cars by the shipload, and you have instant availability of any model, colour or options. There are holding yards full of Chinese EV's.

[facthunter]

Toyota have  reduced output as a contributing factor. I think all Japanese Production has suffered since Fukashima Nuclear Plant, flooded. Nev

[onetrack]

Chip shortages still plague most car manufacturers, bu the Chinese seem to have gotten around it by using less chips, and cheaper varieties - and by ramping up their local chip production.

 

They're satisfying themselves with older-style chips, and by eliminating high-tech options that require cutting-edge chip technology.

 

[nomadpete]

11 hours ago, facthunter said:

 But they'd have bullet holes in them, and no Chinese people would be allowed in to work there, these days.  Nev

But in Texas they probably still think slaves are great.

[kgwilson]

They still have them. Stay & work here for next to nothing or get deported.

[facthunter]

Slaves have to be fed and Housed,. With this New method it's cheaper. Nev

[kgwilson]

A comment from the  Middle east conflict thread was that EVs are still too expensive. There are plenty of high end expensive EVs but at the lower end they have reached price parity with ICE vehicles and there are now some new Chinese town runabout EVs with low range (2-300 km) that are cheaper that entry level ICE cars. What's more as they don't have all the ICE powerplant, transmission, etc issues they have more room in them for people & luggage. No fuel costs if you charge off your rooftop solar, clean & quiet. Great if you live in the big city. The BYD Atto 1 is 24k with 310 km range. The Dongfeng Box will likely be cheaper as it is about $NZ26k there & has better range.

[onetrack]

I reckon a lot of people are looking for about 450-500km range in an EV before they're comfortable with the technology. "Range anxiety" is still a real psychological killer for EV's.

[nomadpete]

5 minutes ago, onetrack said:

"Range anxiety" is still a real psychological killer for EV's.

I think that issue is steadily fading. We are noticing more and more EV's with interstate number plates.

 

And now we are more likely to know somebody who drives one, and we get first hand feedback which is more reliable than any media blurbs.

[facthunter]

Some Motor cycles only have a less than 200 Kms safe range. Most Ev's should have about 400 Kms I reckon. That's a Tank of LPG for many vehicles. My Au Falcon 1998 is now my cheapest vehicle to run when on Gas. 88c/litre.  Nev

[red750]

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/news/prime-minister-albanese-s-warning-to-new-car-brands/ar-AA1YRB40?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=ebeb4d843c2e447de5bc3e8850748819&ei=39

[Jerry_Atrick]

Hmm. I think it was the high court's that held up uncompetitive Practises implemented by Mercedes Australia that implemented anagency model removing competition  between dealers.. in fact it was the dealers that took them to court for breach of contract.

 

Chrysler are a ship show and have been for a long time..

 

Others have been crap to Aussie consumers for ages.

 

And they are only calling it out now with the Chinese?

[kgwilson]

When you buy a new car, service and warranty should be at the top of your list of reasons for the purchase. Not much point of having a flash car in the garage if it won't go. There are so many new Chinese brands, the choice is mind boggling. When I bought my MG4 I knew there was a nation wide MG dealership network plus the warranty was very good (7 years unlimited km on everything including the traction battery except tyres & the 12 volt battery). At the time BYD had no dealer network, a poor warranty and very expensive servicing & that was just a checkup as there was virtually nothing to do.

 

I don't know about the mulittude of other Chinese brands of EVs, Hybrids & ICE vehicles now sold here. I am sure they will  get set up or are starting to but you would not want to be too far away from the main centres if you had a break down. China has taken over from Japan as the main supplier of new cars to Australia.

[onetrack]

The Chinese are notorious for zero backup, zero levels of spares/replacements, and zero "customer care". You buy Chinese products, you're largely on your own.

 

Many an ignorant buyer found out to their chagrin, that cheap Chinese diggers, loaders, and other machinery, has zero manufacturer backup, zero spares availability, and poor resale, along with the former problems.

 

I see recently where the ACCC is starting to hammer car manufacturers who practice these methods, with an insistence that if that manufacturer sells vehicles here, they must provide a proper level of support and spares. Even the dealers want it, too.

 

One of the areas the ACCC is concentrating on is the car warranty as related to servicing. Some of the Chinese brands are refusing to honour warranty claims if the car hasn't been serviced from new by the Chinese dealer. One of the problems with the Chinese brands is the dealers are quite often spread out, making servicing a problem for some owners, with a long drive to get the vehicle serviced.