Electric cars are all well and good, until you remember you’re not a townie and your nearest charging station is an hour’s drive away. Right? Well... not quite.
Our Agribusiness Territory Manager, Jamie, has been cruising round from his place in Geraldine to the back blocks of Canterbury and Otago in his fully electric car for the best part of a year. He reckons it goes like a dream. Here’s his take on being an EV driver, and why living rurally shouldn’t stop you.
It’s a 2019 Hyundai Kona, 100 kilowatts, with a range of 250 kilometres. Well, it’ll do slightly more than that, but 250’s on the safe side. I’ve been driving it for about 10 months, and in that time (excluding lockdown!) I’ve clocked up some serious k’s... about 15,000.
To be honest, I really wasn’t sure about using an EV out in the country. I just didn’t think it could work. But first of all, the car itself is brilliant. It’s so nice to drive – better than a ‘normal’ car – and it’s so quiet. The acceleration is great and it’s got some awesome safety features too. And it’s no trouble on farm... I’ve taken it down tracks, muddy laneways, potholed roads, got caught out in the snow, cuts through fine. It's nice and safe, and it goes everywhere you’d get a petrol car to go.
The thing that takes getting used to is planning ahead. Because I’m driving all over Canterbury and North Otago for work, the 250km range means I need to take some planned charging stops, which can be restricting. I make it work though, and it’s important to think about the fact that I’m driving a LOT. For anyone doing under 250 k’s in a day – i.e. most people – it's a no-brainer.
Since it’s a work car, Meridian put in a home charger for me. That charges from 0% to 100% overnight. And when I'm out and about, I plan my stops around using public chargers. It takes less than an hour to get to 80% battery charge from near empty – enough time for lunch or a bit of work while I wait.
It’s cheap as chips – at home, it’s about $40 a month to charge it up. And again, I'm doing a lot of k’s. So I guess that cost is actually higher than usual, which is pretty crazy!
Absolutely. For the average user who’s doing day trips, if you’re able to charge it once a day, you’ve got a 250km range. That's what I budget on and for most people that’s pretty good.
If you’re a farmer, you’d have your farm truck or ute and then the EV would be the town runabout. It's absolutely brilliant for that. Better for the environment, better to drive, way cheaper to run. It just makes sense, I reckon.
Here are some quick tips to get you started.
Typical EV usage in urban areas can be different to usage in a rural setting. Where city driving may be made up of short trips around the city, to school, to work and the shops, driving in the country can mean long distances every day. This can mean range becomes an even more important factor. However, if you’re planning to use the EV on your own farm most of the time, you may find range less of a concern with a charging point close by.
Also consider the road and terrain you’ll be driving on. Any EV that’s going to be farm-ready needs to come with the same features as a typical vehicle - good ground clearance, suspension and traction. Your vehicle will also need the power to tackle hills without issue.
One of the selling points for many people who go for an EV is the reduction in maintenance costs and issues. But in a rural environment with dirt, dust and gravel par for the course, you’ll want to choose an EV that’s designed to protect the components from wear and tear the environment can bring with it.
Electric vehicles are no longer the exclusive domain of the sensible hatchback form factor. Gradually other popular form factors like SUVs are making their way into the New Zealand EV market. Electric utility vehicles are a bit slower in arriving in NZ with only a few options in the market, but as one of our most popular vehicle types, it’s likely we’ll see more EV utes in a country town near you before long.
Regardless of what you opt for, get the specifics around towing and load capacity. EV range is impacted by the load, too, so the more information you can get on typical rural use range, the smarter a decision you can make.
Towing capability has been one of the biggest concerns from the farming community, with tried-and-true diesel vehicles noted for good rough-terrain performance. But modern ‘pickup’ models of EV actually boast impressive power with the future looking even better as competition heats up overseas and at home.
As you can read above in Jamie’s EV experience, charging is an important factor to think about. While EV charging networks like Zero are helping our infrastructure, there still isn’t quite the level of availability when compared to petrol or diesel.
If you’re a recent or potential EV owner, we suggest doing some homework on where the charging points are within your area or on the routes you’ll likely take. While there’s a small bit of admin that’s introduced, the savings can make it well worth it!
Electric vehicles typically come with many internet-based features, even relying on connectivity for receiving ‘over the air’ updates to the driving experience itself. Check that your location still allows the vehicle to get these updates. Not having service doesn’t prevent you from enjoying many of the practical benefits of an EV, but it is worth knowing when it comes to ease of updates. Most if not all allow for Wifi updates when you’re in range to your router.
If you’re on a mission to find ways to operate more sustainably as an agribusiness, a capable electric truck or car is ideal. When compared to their petrol or diesel counterparts, the running of an EV puts far less strain on the environment.
Want to really live in the future? If you’re collecting solar energy, you can use some of this to charge an EV, further reducing demand on the grid and traditional energy sources.
*Ts&Cs, break fees and eligibility criteria apply. Credit valued at $35/month and only available on our EV Plan.
^Cheaper charging is calculated comparing the night vs day rates on Meridian’s EV plan. Savings vary by network.
Thinking of making the switch? We’ve got info on what they cost, why they’re great and heaps more to help you on your journey.
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