I fear we live in a silly backwards country

[Lozza12]

Hi all,

I’ve driven an EV for more than 3 years now and been a Tesla/SpaceX follower for a couple of years more than that. I started with a 24kWh Leaf, which was lots of fun but pretty limited, and now have a Model 3 SR+. I drive Kona and Ioniq at work.

I was originally a big fan of ‘clean diesel’ and while previously working as a fleet manager have purchased or leased a large number of VWs and Skodas....until of course it all proved to be BS lol. I now work in the energy field and have a few projects underway with renewable energy. You probably detect a degree of interest in environmental matters and sustainability, especially as they relate to reducing opex costs and improving energy self-sufficiency and reducing emissions.

Anyway, getting to the point - I’ve advocated for sustainable energy and transport on the inter webs for many years. However, I remain bitterly disappointed with this country’s knowledge of and attitude to EVs. Things seem no more advanced than in 2015 when seeing a Model S on the road was a rare delight. There’s still the *same* drivel about broken batteries, blowing up the grid, only charging EVs from Huntly power station, and my personal favourite - not being able to tow 10 tonnes for 500/1000/2000 km without filling up.

Now the media are very much at fault with out of date data and insufficient research - witness this Stuff article (and comments section) that some of you bravely contributed to Cost and range of electric vehicles slows pace of change.

NZ should be the *best* country for EVs with our abundant green energy resources, but you wouldn’t think it based on the comments from your average person! Nay, EVs seem to be a curse and a fraud perpetuated by the IPCC and the evil Elon. I fully get that new EVs are still expensive (Model 3 was a stretch for me and my wife thinks I’m crazy) but that just means the used car market will see a bonanza of used EVs in a few years at half price.

My question is why is there still so much ignorance and resistance to change? Coupled with that, why do some folks see hydrogen as this energy utopia despite it requiring 3x as much energy to make and fuelling stations costing millions. No one asks if a fuel cell lasts more than 5 years or can tow a boat (no & no btw).

Fundamentally I guess I’m disappointed in my country and countrymen - I thought we were more open minded and progressive than this. It seems that the perfect is now the enemy of the good - we can’t have EVs because battery recycling is in its infancy and early Leafs had crappy battery design. But come on - things move on and the pace of EV tech is accelerating much faster than it was even just a few years ago when I watched the Model 3 reveal on YouTube. I want the best for folks here in NZ and I want a sustainable planet, but honestly if folks want to keep their head in the sand then maybe they deserve what they get? Keep paying the fuel companies that we *love* to whinge about, keep replacing your gearboxes and cam belts, and remain helpless in the face of environmental decline.

Or am I just over thinking this and any vehicle that doesn’t start with Ford and end in Ranger is just not cool right now lol?

 

[CAM3RON]

Hi all,

I’ve driven an EV for more than 3 years now and been a Tesla/SpaceX follower for a couple of years more than that. I started with a 24kWh Leaf, which was lots of fun but pretty limited, and now have a Model 3 SR+. I drive Kona and Ioniq at work.

I was originally a big fan of ‘clean diesel’ and while previously working as a fleet manager have purchased or leased a large number of VWs and Skodas....until of course it all proved to be BS lol. I now work in the energy field and have a few projects underway with renewable energy. You probably detect a degree of interest in environmental matters and sustainability, especially as they relate to reducing opex costs and improving energy self-sufficiency and reducing emissions.

Anyway, getting to the point - I’ve advocated for sustainable energy and transport on the inter webs for many years. However, I remain bitterly disappointed with this country’s knowledge of and attitude to EVs. Things seem no more advanced than in 2015 when seeing a Model S on the road was a rare delight. There’s still the *same* drivel about broken batteries, blowing up the grid, only charging EVs from Huntly power station, and my personal favourite - not being able to tow 10 tonnes for 500/1000/2000 km without filling up.

Now the media are very much at fault with out of date data and insufficient research - witness this Stuff article (and comments section) that some of you bravely contributed to Cost and range of electric vehicles slows pace of change.

NZ should be the *best* country for EVs with our abundant green energy resources, but you wouldn’t think it based on the comments from your average person! Nay, EVs seem to be a curse and a fraud perpetuated by the IPCC and the evil Elon. I fully get that new EVs are still expensive (Model 3 was a stretch for me and my wife thinks I’m crazy) but that just means the used car market will see a bonanza of used EVs in a few years at half price.

My question is why is there still so much ignorance and resistance to change? Coupled with that, why do some folks see hydrogen as this energy utopia despite it requiring 3x as much energy to make and fuelling stations costing millions. No one asks if a fuel cell lasts more than 5 years or can tow a boat (no & no btw).

Fundamentally I guess I’m disappointed in my country and countrymen - I thought we were more open minded and progressive than this. It seems that the perfect is now the enemy of the good - we can’t have EVs because battery recycling is in its infancy and early Leafs had crappy battery design. But come on - things move on and the pace of EV tech is accelerating much faster than it was even just a few years ago when I watched the Model 3 reveal on YouTube. I want the best for folks here in NZ and I want a sustainable planet, but honestly if folks want to keep their head in the sand then maybe they deserve what they get? Keep paying the fuel companies that we *love* to whinge about, keep replacing your gearboxes and cam belts, and remain helpless in the face of environmental decline.

Or am I just over thinking this and any vehicle that doesn’t start with Ford and end in Ranger is just not cool right now lol?

Yes, I felt the same way after reading that Stuff article's comment section.

Any EV article on Stuff is normally full of the same comments and yes it is disappointing, but I think some of them have to be shills. I find it hard to believe there are that many morons in New Zealand.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Change is hard. New Zealand is fantastic country, but is not making as much effort to get off fossil fuels as other countries (Australia). Believe part of this is the relative low population density (not counting sheep The cities are not as polluted and not as crowded as some other Urban areas. The air is relatively clean, so some of the pressure to change that other countries face are not a pressing.

Some day Tesla may begin building their cars in New Zealand. Need your government to give them incentives to do so, or they will just keep moving further down the list for more enlightened countries.

 

[ICUDoc]

not making as much effort to get off fossil fuels as other countries (Australia)

Mate, that ain't true.
Australia is going BACKWARDS wrt green energy.
{While the OP makes what sound like very good points about NZ and energy, the place is WAAAY in front of Australia when it comes to social progress - wanna swap PMs, Lozza????]

 

[ewoodrick]

It takes years for something like an EV to catch on. This is aggravated by the fact that people only get new cars every 3 years and that cars tend to last about 10 years.

The current crop of cars about to be delivered should go a long way at reducing the fears of operation of EVs. It will hopefully be the generation after that brings prices down into a range where middle class can easily afford them.
Then we have to wait for the used car pipeline to fill so that the lower class can afford them. As well as today's new cars to get 10 years old.

So, hopefully you'll start to see the percentage of new cars being EVs climb significantly in 3 years.

And yes, change is coming. In the US footballs Super Bowl, there were 3 EV commercials, that's a really huge thing.

The adoption ramp has started

 

[jeffnz]

I was also disappointed in TV3’s news report a few weeks ago about how nobody in NZ wants EV’s because there are long lines to charge at the few available charging locations. They had an interview with an EV owner (don’t remember what car they had - leaf maybe?) complaining about long waits to charge. They never talked about the convenience of charging at home like most people do or bothered to show a PlugShare or ChargeNet map with heaps of chargers most everywhere. Never mentioned that there are many free ones. Although I charge at home and have only used public chargers a couple of times, I’ve never seen a queue of people.

That was followed a week or so later with the ‘Tesla is going to have to recall every car they ever made because of unintended acceleration’. They never said this was speculation and was actually just a request to investigate by a short seller. And of course never followed it up with Tesla’s response or any real facts.

And it’s working because everyone that asks me about my car, first question is about how they’ve heard how hard it is to charge. Sigh...

 

[Ecoli]

Yes it’s working FUD keeps people on the fence the longer the incumbents can hold on and drag things out
It’s another few trillion dollars

Hopefully now the NZ government is actually doing something to make EV’s more attractive with more $$ in buyers pockets with the new subsidy, rather than allowing EV’s to drive in bus lanes for a few months

People in general don’t like change and don’t like something that challenges the choices they have made
They will latch on to anything that confirms their choice was right. I guess that’s what makes the FUD successful
FUD gives people what they want to hear, theirs was the right choice and why few investigate what the truth is
They have already got what they came for, confirmation.

 

[Matt_NZ]

I hear you. I make a point to challenge as many of the lies in the comments whenever they do an EV article.

 

[CAM3RON]

I hear you. I make a point to challenge as many of the lies in the comments whenever they do an EV article.

I noticed all your comments. Keep up the good mahi bro.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Had no idea it was such an uphill battle...down under.

In most major large cities around the world, heavy pressure is being brought to bare to reduce the number of heavy pollution caused by cars and industry. Some cities have instituted total bans of gassers inside their city centers in the coming years.

Maybe the cities in Australia and New Zealand do not suffer the pollution levels of other major cities. Their populations are certainly less dense.