Electric Vehicles
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@Kruse said in Electric Vehicles:
"haven't seen a good-looking electric bike - so... irrelevant"
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So what does "good-looking" look like?
These guys seem to have a lot of options: https://australianelectricmotorco.com/
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@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
@Kruse said in Electric Vehicles:
"haven't seen a good-looking electric bike - so... irrelevant"
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So what does "good-looking" look like?
These guys seem to have a lot of options: https://australianelectricmotorco.com/
Yeah - "good-looking" is very subjective. Especially with bikes. Met up (accidentally) with a friend at Whangamomona pub last year - and she referred to the fact that everybody seems to think their bike is the hottest thing going, and everybody else's is a pig.
As I was looking at her boring-as-fuck generic japanese bike, and her boyfriends donkey adventure bike, thinking "damn, why would they ever buy those, when something like my sweet sexy Speed Triple is an option?"
I might need to have another look at the options - a couple of those Energica bikes look to be in my narrow range of "not too futuristic-ridiculous looking but not too boring-as-fuck" sweet-spot. -
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@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
@Kruse you sound like my kids at the dinner table when they were 8
Do not! I know you are, you said you are, but what am I?
If I do finally relocate to Canada - I'll seriously consider one of those Energicas as my "North-American bike".
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@nostrildamus said in Electric Vehicles:
@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
Aussie Ferners: anyone looked into novated leasing for EVs? I hear it recently got more attractive.
Mrs TA keeps saying "we don't do enough km" but I don't think that's a factor any more?
try the calculator here https://www.leaseplan.com.au/tools-and-resources/calculator (and for testing, try button on right "I know the car I want" and see data down below on left) but yeah km doesn't seem much of a factor anymore unless you are doing considerable mileage. NB it only shows a few EV models.
Looking at a 5-year lease on a Volvo XC40 dual motor electric - comes out to $1783 / month or $412/week I guess.
Looks like they scrapped all the tax implications around min/max km on novated leases.
Another one of Mrs TA's arguments falls by the wayside
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Reuters (@reuters) on Threads
Wheels falling off cars at speed. Suspension collapsing on brand-new vehicles. Axles breaking under acceleration. Tens of thousands of customers told Tesla about a host of part failures on...
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European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls
In 2026, Euro NCAP points will be deducted if some controls aren’t physical.
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Was in Adelaide for a quick break with the family, so as we weren't going out into the sticks, I decided to hire a BMW iX3.
Overall, yes it had the combination of electric driving ease with the luxury associated with a European brand and Ze Chermans do things alright. Loved the 360 degree look-down and the HUD.
However, there were things that shit me:
European indicator stalk on the left. I turned the fucking wipers on about 5 times on the first day. Good thing Adelaide has no traffic.
Tailgate didn't open fully. No idea why, but it stopped just at head height. Also some twat had programmed the remote to NOT open the tailgate. Again: why? I found out how to tell the remote to do something useful deep in one of the menus.
For a car worth about $80k AUD it had good passenger space and amenities but not really much cargo room.
It is a fat bastard - the passengers have plenty of space but it bows out another foot on each side. Shit to park in the modern Chinese-built apartment even with the fancy bings and bongs.
The seatbelts auto-tightened on takeoff. And it made a noise every time we went over a certain speed.
These aren't EV complaints, you'll note. If that's Euro luxury, hopefully there's a menu to turn it all off somewhere.
The only EV complaint I have: there is nowhere to see the percentage of battery left in the thing, only a fairly vague needle gauge. Only by going to a charger could I see where it was in real terms - charging was free at certain providers fast-charging stops so that was good.
Overall, for $80K I think it's a bit rich for me.
I am looking at the Kia EV5 for around $65k which seems to have everything I need (and no doubt a raft of annoying safety things that I don't want). Maybe even the EV3 (launching here in a few months) which will suit what I need and fit in the garage more easily.
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@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
Tailgate didn't open fully. No idea why, but it stopped just at head height.
That is likely a setting. If you have low garage or something you can get it to stop before fully opening. Usually just push and hold the button or suchlike to reset. Mine did that until I sorted it out.
@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
The only EV complaint I have: there is nowhere to see the percentage of battery left in the thing, only a fairly vague needle gauge. Only by going to a charger could I see where it was in real terms -
Has to be way to see that. Really shit if you can't. Lexus EV has both, needle and digital. Polestar just the digital percentage.
@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
and no doubt a raft of annoying safety things that I don't want)
Yep. Managed to turn most of them off on my cars, or at least have the facility to do so.
@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
Invested to see what the split of Chinese made versus US made Teslas are involved
Just saw this. Polestar now building in both US and China too. Mine is a 2 and assembled in China, but the build quality seems to be as good as my Audi was. Polestar are still technically a Euro, so I guess the Swedes are on top of the production process. Be interesting to see what the US ones are like.
I still think "stripper" when I read Pole star...great car though. Seriously quick.
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@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
Was in Adelaide for a quick break with the family, so as we weren't going out into the sticks, I decided to hire a BMW iX3.
Overall, yes it had the combination of electric driving ease with the luxury associated with a European brand and Ze Chermans do things alright. Loved the 360 degree look-down and the HUD.
However, there were things that shit me:
European indicator stalk on the left. I turned the fucking wipers on about 5 times on the first day. Good thing Adelaide has no traffic.
Tailgate didn't open fully. No idea why, but it stopped just at head height. Also some twat had programmed the remote to NOT open the tailgate. Again: why? I found out how to tell the remote to do something useful deep in one of the menus.
For a car worth about $80k AUD it had good passenger space and amenities but not really much cargo room.
It is a fat bastard - the passengers have plenty of space but it bows out another foot on each side. Shit to park in the modern Chinese-built apartment even with the fancy bings and bongs.
The seatbelts auto-tightened on takeoff. And it made a noise every time we went over a certain speed.
These aren't EV complaints, you'll note. If that's Euro luxury, hopefully there's a menu to turn it all off somewhere.
The only EV complaint I have: there is nowhere to see the percentage of battery left in the thing, only a fairly vague needle gauge. Only by going to a charger could I see where it was in real terms - charging was free at certain providers fast-charging stops so that was good.
Overall, for $80K I think it's a bit rich for me.
I am looking at the Kia EV5 for around $65k which seems to have everything I need (and no doubt a raft of annoying safety things that I don't want). Maybe even the EV3 (launching here in a few months) which will suit what I need and fit in the garage more easily.
Are we allowed to discuss hybrids in this thread? I was in Adelaide recently too, drove a Toyota Hybrid for 5 days including the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills and filled up just before returning the rental - $25. Felt like I'd won something not having to fill up a whole tank with expensive near the airport petrol.
I've driven a hybrid in NZ before but it wasn't as efficient at using the electric in comparison to this one, might be just advances in technology.
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@Nepia said in Electric Vehicles:
@NTA said in Electric Vehicles:
Was in Adelaide for a quick break with the family, so as we weren't going out into the sticks, I decided to hire a BMW iX3.
Overall, yes it had the combination of electric driving ease with the luxury associated with a European brand and Ze Chermans do things alright. Loved the 360 degree look-down and the HUD.
However, there were things that shit me:
European indicator stalk on the left. I turned the fucking wipers on about 5 times on the first day. Good thing Adelaide has no traffic.
Tailgate didn't open fully. No idea why, but it stopped just at head height. Also some twat had programmed the remote to NOT open the tailgate. Again: why? I found out how to tell the remote to do something useful deep in one of the menus.
For a car worth about $80k AUD it had good passenger space and amenities but not really much cargo room.
It is a fat bastard - the passengers have plenty of space but it bows out another foot on each side. Shit to park in the modern Chinese-built apartment even with the fancy bings and bongs.
The seatbelts auto-tightened on takeoff. And it made a noise every time we went over a certain speed.
These aren't EV complaints, you'll note. If that's Euro luxury, hopefully there's a menu to turn it all off somewhere.
The only EV complaint I have: there is nowhere to see the percentage of battery left in the thing, only a fairly vague needle gauge. Only by going to a charger could I see where it was in real terms - charging was free at certain providers fast-charging stops so that was good.
Overall, for $80K I think it's a bit rich for me.
I am looking at the Kia EV5 for around $65k which seems to have everything I need (and no doubt a raft of annoying safety things that I don't want). Maybe even the EV3 (launching here in a few months) which will suit what I need and fit in the garage more easily.
Are we allowed to discuss hybrids in this thread? I was in Adelaide recently too, drove a Toyota Hybrid for 5 days including the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills and filled up just before returning the rental - $25. Felt like I'd won something not having to fill up a whole tank with expensive near the airport petrol.
I've driven a hybrid in NZ before but it wasn't as efficient at using the electric in comparison to this one, might be just advances in technology.
Toyota hybrids are mostly very efficient esp the small Yaris. Which one did you have?
My issue with hybrids is that they have the weight of an engine and battery and more things to go wrong and need to have maintained.
One of my issues with Teslas is cost of repair. With Chinese cars, after sales support and retained value.
Hyundai/Kia EVs seem pretty good to me. -
@Snowy said in Electric Vehicles:
olestar now building in both US and China too. Mine is a 2 and assembled in China, but the build quality seems to be as good as my Audi was.
I'm told a lot of Chinese made Tesla Model 3 are better than the US assembly.
It'll be interesting to see if they get to a point where their labour costs eventually cull their financial edge.
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@nostrildamus said in Electric Vehicles:
My issue with hybrids is that they have the weight of an engine and battery and more things to go wrong and need to have maintained.
Anecdotally, a friend hired a Rav4 Hybrid and it the electric drive train shit itself, rendering the car useless.
Standard hybrids like the Prius are great for fuel economy but you're dragging two lots of everything around, and both are gutless.
Similarly with Plug In Hybrids the first 40km are great, then you're switching back and forth.
There are some carbon-to-electric drive trains out there, where the wheels are driven completely by the electric motors using a smaller battery than an EV and the petrol engine is there purely to generate electrons.
Nissan's e4orce (stupid name) in the top end model of the latest X-Trail is one example.
The BYD Shark is another, and a very interesting example as it contains a ~30kWh battery fed by a 1.5L turbo petrol 4cyl engine.
These guys reckon it's a solid offering: https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/2025-byd-shark-6-off-road-4x4-review-147971/
