Electric Vehicle Information Centre
Got an electric car or thinking about buying one? Here’s some information and tips to help you
Plugging in
Standard domestic 3 pin socket
Rolec 7kW Wallpod
Charging an electric vehicle is easy and convenient. Nearly all of an EV owner’s charging will be done at home on a standard 3 pin socket. They are everywhere! Plus, this is the most cost-effective way to fill up. Most electric vehicles can be charged from 0% to 100% overnight by a 10A plug, just plug the car in when you get home and wake up to a full battery every morning.
The LEAF and many other EVs have charge timers, giving you the ability to control when the charge starts and finishes. This offers drivers the benefit of low-cost off-peak electricity and reduces the grid load to give you an even higher percentage of renewable green energy.
Rolec 7kW Wallpod
Level 2 charging is faster than plugging into a standard wall socket as you are not limited to the 10Amps an NZ plug is rated for. Units like the "Rolec Wallpod" displayed can be installed inside or outside and be purchased through our EV Parts & Accessories.
These units are available for Both single and 3 Phase supply.
ChargeNet.NZ publicFast charger
Charging infrastructure Map NZ
Unison Fast charger
D/C fast charging or rapid charging is available on the go at public charging stations. These stations enable electric vehicle owners to travel virtually anywhere in New Zealand. Information on where these charging stations are and will soon be is available on the ChargeNet.nz website.
How do I pay for public charging?
ChargeNet.nz RFID key tag
How do I pay for public charging?
First thing to do is set up an account on the ChargeNet website. Once registered you are ready to charge! There are 3 ways to activate public fast chargers, the most common is by using the RFID chip that Drive EV has provided you with, downloading the ChargeNet app is another great way to activate a charge, you can also use the ChargeNet.nz websites "Start Charge" feature to turn chargers on anywhere in NZ. The units in New Zealand that require payment all accept the ChargeNet.nz RFID chip that is paid on an easy monthly account.
How long does it take?
Charging speeds vary depending on temperature, State of Charge (SoC) and what model of Electric Vehicle is plugged in. A general rule of thumb is if you plug in with 10% it will take around 20 minutes to get back up to 80%. We have tested most EVs and can advise you how models differ.
Driving distance
The range on an Electric Vehicle can vary widely based on many factors, some of the main reasons are travelling speeds, ambient temperatures, topography, vehicle load and usable battery capacities. An electric car’s range is very easy to monitor along the way and is also very predictable with a few simple tips and tricks that Drive EV can show you. With the correct information, trip planning will be a breeze.
The team at Drive EV have driven electric vehicles as far north as Cape Reinga and as far South as Christchurch, with tens of thousands of EV kilometres around NZ we can offer accurate advice from real world experiences.
On our advertised vehicles you will see we quote both "Around town" and "Open road" range figures, the reason for this is an EV will go much further around town as consumption is greatly affected by speed. The faster you go the shorter the range.
Another factor to an EV’s range is the use of auxiliaries like the heater and air conditioning. An electric vehicle’s heater runs directly off the high voltage battery and different models have different efficiencies, we can advise you the pros and cons of each model.
What about the batteries?
The batteries in an Electric Vehicle like the LEAF are made up of modules, modules contain cells and the cells contain the Lithium ION chemistry that stores the electricity.
Battery replacement is very uncommon on modern electric vehicles and it is almost unheard of to have a problem with an entire pack. In the unlikely event that an EV experiences battery problems, individual modules can be replaced.
Replacing batteries in electric vehicles will come but we expect it will be more around extending the range than fixing a problem.
There are now battery and EV specialists like EVs Enhanced who are committed to offering future battery and computer upgraded to ageing EVs making them better, faster and with longer-range than when they were sold new.
Nissan LEAF 24 kWh Battery pack
What EV is right for me?
This is where we come in! At Drive EV it is our mission to create positive EV experiences, we listen to our customer’s needs, work through their daily commutes, places they want to visit and advise what vehicles are most suited to their needs.
We are happy to offer free advice anytime, whether you are in the market to buy, already own an EV or are just generally curious about electric vehicles. Get in touch, we are always keen to talk about EVs!