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Tesla in Australia
- Thread starter PeterW
- Start date
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- Tags
- Australia New Zealand
moollar
Member
This is a interesting post. Studies across Europe and the states has found that when one brings a EV home, within short order the ICE is relegated to the dump bin. Luckily and not through the good grace of Australian consumers we now have some excellent EV options at silly prices. The First EV the i-miev can now be had for $16K, 50c to charge, small, light, 1/2 the range with similar safety features as a Tesla (no autopilot) a perfect town car at 10% of the price. The Leaf is starting to come off leases now and one would expect they to be in the low $20's, the BMW i3 is sure to be available at significant discounts given the poor sales to date. The point is that even without Tesla there are excellent EV options available as in the case of the i-miev. After slipping onto a $16k i-miev immediately after "delaying" our Tesla I can attest 100% that Electric vehicles regardless of the brand are incredible pieces of technology and the natural mode of transport. You all are going to love the EV experience enjoy the launch.
My sentiments are with timpoo. In principle, I agree with you. However, there are some qualifiers (which timpoo mostly covered in his post).
The first question my wife asked about EVs was, "How do you do long distance travel?" Only Tesla has answered that with a pure EV (assuming a supercharger rollout - which is already underway). The other options are the "non-pure" EVs such as the Volt (which is WAY too expensive in Australia) or the Outlander PHEV (which I think is great at what it does, especially considering it's cheaper than the Volt, has 5 decent sized seats, great luggage capacity, AWD and can tow 1500kg!). My family would not fit into a Volt or i-miev (I have 3 kids) and we would only be able to use the Leaf as a city car, which kind of sucks in the summer when we want to go to the central or southern coasts or blue mountains - never mind going any further than that. I guess what I'm saying is that the utility of those vehicles does not meet our family's requirements, as great as they may be.
Tesla has set the standard for mass market EVs (IMHO) and I sincerely hope that the other manufacturers follow suit. This is why I'm so stoked that they are officially launching in Australia next week! :smile:
Moolar, also on the volt/PHEV, I've been considering these as my wife's next car but I see the ICE as being redundant weight/mass that would 95% go unused, but still require servicing, lubricant checking etc... it takes away from a lot of the points that make an EV so great. Why oh why can't we get the e-golf in Australia? It would be the perfect car for my wife and I while we wait for long range EVs to come down a bit.
timpoo
Member
We definitely need more models in Australia so we can start aiming for 1% of new car sales for pure EVs, which would be around 14,000 new cars on the road yearly. If you think about it, that means the potential for certain urban pockets to see quite heavy EV use in the near future. When you add in plug in hybrids we'll see even more.
Thoroughly enjoyed that article. Can't wait to read the reviews that comefrom within Australia.
Can't agree more. I hope any charging infrastructure is forward thinking enough in power available, not just 15A for plug in hybrids. Time will tell.
timpoo
Member
Dborn
Confirmed
I have heard from a reliable source, that Tesla is doing and planning really big things in this country.There are some big announcements, surprises (pleasant ones), coming and reasonably soon. (not Tesla soon). Evan Beaver has been very busy, and i think super charger sites, and many of them, are not too far off. This is not a boutique entry to this country. They are coming in in a very big way and do intend to make some very large waves. Maybe not a Tsunami, YET, but in the fullness of time, who knows?
One of the things they will be doing is building a large solar farm, which they will use to make themselves energy neutral including the superchargers. Essentially, we are all subsidising that with our cars. They will sell green power to the grid and buy it back at negligible charge. So, they won't need solar canopies at every supercharger. They will probably find a way to make that tax deductible. Overall, the news is exciting, and some of it may well come on Tuesday night!!
One of the things they will be doing is building a large solar farm, which they will use to make themselves energy neutral including the superchargers. Essentially, we are all subsidising that with our cars. They will sell green power to the grid and buy it back at negligible charge. So, they won't need solar canopies at every supercharger. They will probably find a way to make that tax deductible. Overall, the news is exciting, and some of it may well come on Tuesday night!!
dhuDz
Member
It would be even great if they invest a facility here as well like what they have in Tillburg (or Fremont perhaps )at least... That way its just GST... (i know the early adopters here are way over that already)
It will be very disappointing if they do not show a 2015 Supercharger map at the launch event.
Just a couple of more points and i'll leave you all to enjoy the future.
The Tesla is cool, because its electric and not because it is a Tesla. In my opinion. Therefore the I-Miev the i3 and Leaf are also cool. The Halo of Tesla Model S is great for the industry. The Model S is the poster boy, the i-miev the technological wiz kid being the first modern EV, the i3 a groundbreaking manufacturing model and the Leaf a sales hero. All great cars and again they are great because they are electric. I have driven all of them and they all contain the Tesla (as in electric motor) smile.
The Tesla answers the emotional questions, the same questions buyers have when they use wrong thinking when they purchase a large 4WD, the argument is I need it because I might go off road, the reality is you don't. The reality is most of us just do not do the range daily that the Tesla offers, but its great (if not pointless) to have the security. But buying a car is not a rational decision.
The i-Miev answers the pragmatic questions, a super efficient and silent means of city transport that moves 4 with the smallest impact on the planet.
The Tesla answers the motoring hacks who compare every new car to a Ferrari or Porsche, and complain when the Leaf does not handle like a Porsche or cannot drive to Perth. Or stupid illogical questions like, "you will need to travel X kilometres to pay back the difference in price" The fact is you will pay back the difference. I have actually made back the price in fuel savings of my old hybrid in the 12 years I have owned it.
The fact is 99% of the population will do less than 100Km per day, and the occasional long distance trips can be done in hire cars. Long distance travel is part of the corporate conditioning we all face.
It's so easy to rationalise a buying decision based on perceived needs, it helps explain the abundance of large 4WD's on the roads.
But finally buying a Tesla or any of the EV's on the market for that matter regardless of bad self rationalisation skills is Right Thinking.
Enjoy your smiles next week and get ready for the stares and endless questions.
The Tesla is cool, because its electric and not because it is a Tesla. In my opinion. Therefore the I-Miev the i3 and Leaf are also cool. The Halo of Tesla Model S is great for the industry. The Model S is the poster boy, the i-miev the technological wiz kid being the first modern EV, the i3 a groundbreaking manufacturing model and the Leaf a sales hero. All great cars and again they are great because they are electric. I have driven all of them and they all contain the Tesla (as in electric motor) smile.
The Tesla answers the emotional questions, the same questions buyers have when they use wrong thinking when they purchase a large 4WD, the argument is I need it because I might go off road, the reality is you don't. The reality is most of us just do not do the range daily that the Tesla offers, but its great (if not pointless) to have the security. But buying a car is not a rational decision.
The i-Miev answers the pragmatic questions, a super efficient and silent means of city transport that moves 4 with the smallest impact on the planet.
The Tesla answers the motoring hacks who compare every new car to a Ferrari or Porsche, and complain when the Leaf does not handle like a Porsche or cannot drive to Perth. Or stupid illogical questions like, "you will need to travel X kilometres to pay back the difference in price" The fact is you will pay back the difference. I have actually made back the price in fuel savings of my old hybrid in the 12 years I have owned it.
The fact is 99% of the population will do less than 100Km per day, and the occasional long distance trips can be done in hire cars. Long distance travel is part of the corporate conditioning we all face.
It's so easy to rationalise a buying decision based on perceived needs, it helps explain the abundance of large 4WD's on the roads.
But finally buying a Tesla or any of the EV's on the market for that matter regardless of bad self rationalisation skills is Right Thinking.
Enjoy your smiles next week and get ready for the stares and endless questions.
None of Tesla's Supercharger maps are "detailed" until they are open for use. I would expect a map similar to what they have provided for the other continents - which are just approximate guides to which highway corridors will be Supercharger enabled. In fact, this is the disclaimer at the bottom of the Tesla map - "The map above is a representation of the corridors we plan to enable and the timing thereof. Exact locations and timing may vary."
This is not too much to ask for a new market launch at this stage of the global Supercharger network build-out. Also, by providing a 2015 date for the map, they completely avoid the issue of which ones will be open "soon".
You'll see a corridor map but it's also remarkably easy to predict. Sydney to Melbourne via Canberra then Adelaide and Brisbane.
Mark E
Member
I would not even consider either of them. Slow, ugly, uninspiring and way too limited. Mind you, I'm also not interested in FWD city cars either - but the MIEV has always struck me as being purposely designed to put people off EVs. The Leaf was getting closer, but not quite.
What I never get is what is taking up so much space in other manufacturers EVs? The roadster was mostly battery, but had a good range and was tiny - but what happened with the leaf? Tiny battery but still under the bonnet is full of 'stuff'...
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Not sure if you'll have to go via Canberra - I'd expect that Goulburn is more likely as it covers Canberra and the highway without diversions. Yass would add too much to the Canberra trip time and the bulk of traffic is from Sydneys direction.
LGGD
Active Member
At the moment, Porsche actually have the largest range of plug-in hybrids of any manufacturer.
And, in Queensland at least they all qualify for the same discounted stamp duty as a Tesla gets - 2% instead of the 3.5% or 4% for the non-hybrid versions.
Gabz
Member
Dborn
Confirmed
At least you can drive your car home....mine has to be trucked to Melbourne and I cant drive it until registered, hopefully on Thursday.
What a horrible tease! I'm off to Europe on Thursday, hoping to see my first Tesla while there. Still haven't been able to see one here.
