Would you buy an electric vehicle - Why or why not?

I am with you (and others) who are waiting for the recharge network to be more developed. Perhaps we will have government that makes this a priority some day? Towing ought to be no worries as EVs have strong torque at low speed, in many cases they accelerate much faster than similar ICE vehicles.

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There are several yet to arrive with the potential. It might also depend on the size of your boat?

US spec Ford F-150 Lightning.

Maximum braked towing capacity is rated at 4535kg in the Extended Range when the Max Trailer Tow Package is fitted.

Not yet available in Australia, it demonstrates what is possible with current proven technology. No need to comment on the US pricing. We always seem to pay a penalty (sorry premium) for imported vehicles.

The Polestar 2 available later this year apparently offers up to a 1500kg maximum. Adequate for a modest boat. Not a recommendation, but encouraging towing will be an option for some vehicles.

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The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has a 1600 kg capacity for at least one axle braked on the trailer, less if no brakes on the trailer.

It is about 500 kg for the e-Kona, the Volvo XC40 is the same as the Polestar at 1500 kg, the Tesla Model X is 2250 kg. If you want the Jag it is 850 kg and the Audi e-tron is 1800 kg. Many at the moment are not rated for towing. The Tesla Model 3 has been tested at 1000 kg but the manual states it is not rated for towing.

A site worth reading if interested in towing with an EV or hybrid can be found at:

A bit more on the EV caravan mentioned in the previous article:

A further thought on the self powered caravan is that once you arrive and if there is enough solar energy available you could put panels on the van or put placeable panels around to top the batteries up. This could allow for a complete off grid holiday.

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Currently im in an electric wheel chair :wheelchair: it gives me a range of 7 klms new vehicles do not take in consideration those who have special needs znd the cost then becomes too inhibitve for people like myself on pension

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Similar to @mark_m I am waiting for electric vehicles which are capable of functioning both as a car AND a home battery i.e. capable of bi-directional changing. Our solar panels produce 3-4 times what we use in electricity over the year, and we only drive a couple of times a week, so an electric vehicle with bi-directional charging would eliminate our petrol costs and store our excess solar energy, meaning we’d rarely have to draw electricity from the grid. Win-win!

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I do a fair amount of Country and Outback driving. Given the scarcity of currently available recharging stations I would find it impossible to consider at present.

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I require an off road 4WD vehicle that will tow a double horse float or a large off road caravan that can travel at least 1000kms between charges. The present electric vehicles do not offer anything at all like that. I do not even know if there are any with a towing let alone off road capability. The present array of electric vehicles appear to be urban commuters. In Europe I found electric charging stations on major highways with 2 and 3 hour waiting times of cars parked everywhere. That might be fine for over there with short distances to travel between cities but highly impractical for Australia’s long distances.

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Welcome to the community.

We all have different needs and uses for our vehicles to meet those needs. For now some of us may have no choice other than to burn diesel or petrol.

Of interest there are 4WD BEV vehicles that are very capable on and off the road, Toyota upgrades included. One demonstration that 50% of concerns have already been solved. There are previous topic references to Ford USA and the unprecedented demand for their F150 product.

The other 50% of concerns about range are likely about battery capacity and the high added cost of batteries. It’s more a question of how soon rather than if battery technology will deliver the next step change in capacity at a lower cost.

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Towing a boat is not a problem for an electric motor. They can put out massive amounts of torque. The problem is EV’s are not suitable to tow with. The structure of EV’s are lightweight for getting a reasonable travelling distance out of a charge. Beef up the strength of the vehicle’s frame adds weight hence significantly reduces travelling distance. Similarly driving of a night time requiring headlights and or with driving lights on will reduce travelling distance. Add GPS, Air Conditioner, Radio and charge your phone, and you’ll be having regular down time putting charge in the battery. Let alone Windscreen Wipers, towing anything, or if off road: running your camping fridge in the back and running a 50amp tyre pump for 20 minutes will significantly reduce battery capacity. These practical issues need to be factored in if considering an EV if you are not an urban commuter. That’s why I’d like to see practical issues such as these addressed in EV reviews.

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Looks like there are significant battery improvements on the way…

Not immediately though.

The EV’s are getting better all the time.There is BMW i3 i think it is and it’s range is 597KM before re-charging.No matter what way you look at it the future is EV’s and that’s not going to change.A change in government i believe will set us on the right course.We are way behind with other developed countries that needs to change

Anyone handy with their tools will save 1000’s sticking with today’s very reliable piston jobs today. My Nissan has smashed out 300,000 kms and never burns any oil. I paid $7k for it 13 years ago. Now retired and my rego is more than the fuel I burn each year. EV’s are for the rich.

My two main reasons for delaying the acquisition of an EV is that my current vehicle ( a 2011 Mitsubishi ASX) is working fine (and doesn’t need replacing) and EVs cost so much. I’m hoping that by the time I actually have to replace my ICE the cost of EVs has come down substantially. I have some concerns with the availability of charging stations. I would probably install a charging point at my house to supplement other charging options. I do have rooftop solar, so bi-directional is appealing.

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Even for people staying on tarmac it seems a long way off before it is viable - off-tarmac even longer. I think some people a dreaming to a degree - but we do need the dreamers :wink:

Advocates make case for more electric vehicle charging stations in outback Australia - ABC News

I would not, and probably not for the next 20 years.

When we have replaced every fossil-fuel-generated watt with a renewable watt, and when we have used any surplus renewable electricity beyond that to decarbonise all our materials industries (green steel, green aluminium, green cement, green plastics, green fertilisers etc), then and only then should we waste precious renewable electricity on electric vehicles.

In the meantime, we have biofuels.

Biofuels can take all transport fuels completely out of the climate-change equation virtually overnight, and not just for road and rail but for air and sea as well, because they are better-than-zero-emissions with more carbon locked up in growing the feedstocks than is released in burning the fuel.

And they can make use of our existing stock of vehicles and of our existing infrastructure for refuelling, and they don’t require the expenditure of massive amounts of public money in subsidies – just lower the excise on biofuels and raise the excise on fossil fuels.

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I am not considering an EV at this stage.
No home solar for me, so that charging benefit doesn’t apply.
The models available seem high-priced, and insurance for EV cars from what I have read is higher than ICE cars.
My state Gov has slapped a per kilometer charge on EV cars for registration that only applies to them.
Lastly, I’ve yet to see any used car market.

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