Electric Cars: The Ultimate Guide

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Sales of electric vehicles should overtake ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles within just a few years. In SolarQuotes TV episode 10, Finn explains why the EV takeover is inevitable and how solar power will play a crucial role in helping make it happen.

Also, from testing range anxiety on a long Tesla road trip to checking out a perfect EV and solar power pairing; plus Ronald crunches the numbers on EV costs and we take a glimpse into a fully electric future. All this and more in this month’s episode of SQTV!

Common EV Questions And Answers

00:23 – As a driver of an electric car, Finn has quite a few conversations with people about it – and there are several recurring questions; including:

• How far can it go before the battery is flat?
• Can you charge it at a servo?
• What car do you use if you want to go on a really long trip?

Finn answers these questions and estimates how long before it’s game over for internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. It’s probably a lot sooner than most people think.

Can EVs Go The (Long) Distance In Australia?

03:23 – The short answer to the question about whether electric vehicles can travel long distances in Australia is yes.

For the longer answer, check out this segment where Finn takes his electric car on a 928 kilometre (each-way) trip to pick up a puppy.

While a long trip may take a little extra planning depending on where you’re heading, the good news is things are only going to get better as more charging infrastructure pops up around Australia (and there’s always a wall socket around if need be).

Big Savings From “Solar Powered” Electric BMW i3

08:28 – Chris in South-east Queensland shows us his fully electric house and electric car – a BMW i3. Chris started out with a 10 kW solar system a few years ago – which is still pretty large by today’s standards. But after seeing the great value it provided, Chris upgraded the house to 3-phase power and now has 28.8kW of panels – a very big system for a residential installation.

Chris says key to making the most of his monster system is moving loads such as the pool pump and EV charging to the middle of the day. He talks about his Zappi Charger, which has the ability to charge the car as fast as his system would be exporting surplus energy.

Chris estimates he’s saved around $18,000 on fuel and servicing since acquiring the i3 and “the car drives as good, if not better than when it was brand new”.

“Basically, I don’t have a power bill any more, I don’t have a fuel bill any more, I get paid roughly a thousand dollars a quarter from my power company – and I’ve got the best car I’ve ever driven!”

Finn points out while Chris paid $72,000 for his BMW i3; based on his numbers he’s arguably still well ahead – and electric cars are only getting cheaper.

Installer Profile – EV Charge Australia

11:14 – Sasha Stella is a solar installer who has jumped into EVs in a big way, setting up a dedicated charging business (EV Charge Australia) in preparation for the electric car revolution. Sasha shows us some of the gear he’s installing for commercial and residential markets, outlines the costs for setting up a home charger and provides some handy tips.

“I don’t believe my children will drive a combustion engine,” he says. “They’re five years away and we’ll push them towards an electric vehicle.”

Solar Tech – Chargefox

14:08 – Chargefox is an Australian company that has been going gangbusters as interest in electric cars in Australia starts to really ramp up. The company has ultra-rapid EV charging stations from Brisbane all the way through to Adelaide, plus a couple in Perth and one in Tasmania – and the network will continue to grow. All Chargefox’s ultra-rapid chargers are powered by 100% renewable energy.

ChargeFox’s Evan Beaver talks about some of the company’s activities, shows us charging setups and connectors, and how he handles charging of his Nissan Leaf,

Single vs. Three-Phase Power For Charging EVs

16:30 – Another question Finn hears a lot:

“Should I go for three-phase or is single phase enough to charge an EV?”

Finn runs through the options for home EV charging, how each performs and their pros and cons.

To summarise:

“If you’re building a house or running a wire from your garage to your switchboard for an EV charger – run three-phase. Three-phase cables aren’t that much more than single-phase cables when you take into account the cost of labour. The expensive bit’s the labour.”

Ned’s Review – Electric Mini

20:03 – Ned takes SolarQuotes’ Chantel’s Electric Mini for a spin, which he likened to riding in the Millennium Falcon.

Ned’s not much of a car guy per se – this is more of a casual review. He found it didn’t take long to get comfortable with the vehicle, everything was really intuitive and it was fun to drive.

“If this was a solar installation review like I normally do, that’s easy – 5 out of 5; or if Mini Cooper want to sponsor my segment – wink – that’s a 6 out of 5”

But Finn says if you see Ned in new electric wheels to let him know.

“There’s no car for comments here at SolarQuotes!”

If you’d like to read more about this vehicle, check out Ronald’s in-depth review of the Electric Mini from last year.

Petrol Vs. Electric Car Costs And Savings

22:23 – Ronald’s crunched the numbers and found buying an electric car can bring big savings.

“I’m very excited about electric cars … It’s very hard for anything to excite my ancient, blackened heart. So, this is a very positive sign.”

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To read Ronald’s calculations and commentary, see his new article: Electric Cars Vs Petrol Cars: How Much Can You Save?

Finn also springs a surprise on Ronald, who is in Queensland. Finn will only pay for his air fare back when the SolarQuotes Youtube channel subscriber count reaches 15,000. Help bring Ronald home and subscribe today!

The Future Is Electric – And Very Soon

27:20 – Renowned author, speaker, educator, angel investor and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tony Seba believes EV disruption will totally remake our cities, transportation and the world’s emissions profile. And it will happen a lot sooner than many believe; as few understand just how fast disruptive technologies can take hold as technology adoption is not linear.

Finn cites a couple of previous examples, including solar power.

“The International Energy Agency has consistently and massively underestimated solar panel uptake every year for the past 10 years – and that’s how EVs will play out.”

Among the many advantages of electric cars that will accelerate their uptake is their fewer moving parts – 20 or so vs. an internal combustion engine’s 2,000+

Seba says the EV is close to zero maintenance and makers will be able to offer infinite kilometre warranties. And of course, in addition to near zero maintenance is zero emissions.

“Seba predicts a 90% reduction in emissions in transport by 2030 – not because of governments, but in spite of them.”

For a bunch of videos on everything solar energy related and other SQTV episodes, check out and subscribe to the SolarQuotes Youtube channel!

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Related

If you are looking to take the big step of dumping petrol and diesel and switching to an EV, then you will need to be able to charge it. Lance Turner looks at the EVSE options available and which might suit you best.

The world is electrifying all forms of transport: trains, buses, and even aircraft. But the most well-known electric vehicles (EVs) are light passenger vehicles: in other words, your own private car.

Electric vehicles—and, in particular, battery electric vehicles (BEVs)—have many advantages over existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. These include being smoother, quieter, quicker and safer (they have a lower centre of gravity and are far less likely to roll over, for example). But best of all, they require no trips to the stinking petrol station to fill them up with toxic, carcinogenic fuels bought from huge multi-national oil companies that just want to make money, regardless of the environmental and social damage their products cause…

…that is, of course, unless you opted for a plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV), which has a much smaller battery and an ICE to charge it. You can drive a PHEV like a BEV, but the range is much lower and you still have to run the combustion engine regularly to keep it operating in good condition.

Anyway, PHEV requirements aside, if you don’t need to go to a petrol station, how do you charge your EV?

The answer is that most people charge their EVs at home. This can be done in two ways; both require a device known as an EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment).

What is an EVSE?
So what is an EVSE, and how does it differ from just a regular mains power wall socket?

An EVSE is an interface between the mains power supply and the AC charger in the EV. All EVs have an in-built AC charger that takes AC mains power, rectifies it and converts the voltage to suit the car’s battery pack (which is, of course, DC).

But if the car is charging from mains power and has its own AC/DC charger, why do you need an EVSE?

There are several reasons, and they are critical for safe charging of an EV.

Firstly, the EVSE does a number of safety checks. In particular, it checks that the mains power connection is properly earthed and that there is no earth leakage. Should a fault occur, the EVSE will de-energise the charging cable and disconnect the car from mains power immediately using its inbuilt contactor (a heavy duty relay). This is done to prevent the risk of electric shock to the car owner or damage to the car.

The EVSE also sets the power limit for the EV’s charger. Because the car may be able to draw more power than your power point can safely supply, the EVSE lets the car know how much power it is allowed to draw from the mains. For example, an EV with a single-phase 7 kW (kilowatts) onboard charger can draw 30 A (amps) or so from the grid. If the car was connected directly to a 10 A or 15 A power point, it would try to draw 30 A, which would immediately trip the circuit breaker, preventing charging.

If the car was connected via an EVSE, however, the EVSE would communicate the power point’s ratings to the car, meaning that it never draws more than the mains circuit allows. Some EVSEs require the user to set the maximum power draw; others simply supply a fixed rate of power, such as 10A.

Types of EVSEs
Firstly, we should take a quick look at the way to which charging levels are commonly referred. You may often see charge rates referred to as Levels, such as Level 1, Level 2 etc. This is the American system and is not used in Australia (or, at least, it shouldn’t be). Here, we split charging into four modes, which can be seen in Figure 1.

Mode 1 is simply plugging an on-board charger into a wall socket. While it is seen in electric bikes, mopeds, etc, no commercially available light vehicle EVs use this method, so we won’t look at it further. However, it is the most common method when charging home conversion EVs (ICE vehicles that have been converted to electric drive).

Mode 2 is one of the ways you will charge your EV at home. It consists of a portable EVSE that plugs into a dedicated AC socket (see later for power supply and wiring requirements) and does all the interfacing between the mains supply and the vehicle.

Mode 3 also uses an AC EVSE, but it is fixed on the wall and is hard wired into the home’s switchboard on a dedicated circuit.

Mode 4 is known as DC charging, and is generally much faster than AC charging. In this mode, the EVSE contains a high powered AC-DC charger and charges the vehicle’s battery directly. Charge rates in Mode 4 can be up to 350 kW, although 50 kW to 150 kW is more common. DC chargers are much more expensive than AC EVSEs, and in any case, with such high power charge rates, Mode 4 charging is never used at home. For more information on the different charging rates, see “EV charging on the road” in Renew 151.

So, let’s look a bit more closely at the types of EVSEs.

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