Articles by Stephen Corby

Electric cars may seem like an overnight sensation - a flash of lightning in the pan - given the recent increased media, and political, focus on them, but the truth is they’ve been gracing Australian roads - in limited numbers, mind - for about a decade now.

What are the major issues facing hybrid vehicles?

Much fanfare has been made about how electric vehicles (EV) will save the planet and rescue us all from imminent doom like some kind of four-wheeled electro-Superman - a slightly unreasonable expectation. Despite the many pros, though - zero tailpipe emissions thanks to ditching the internal-combustion engine (ICE) in favour of a battery-powered electric motor, instant torque, a quiet cabin - EVs aren’t without some flaws, and there are a few disadvantages and problems with electric cars that you should be aware of if you’re thinking about getting behind the wheel of one. The biggest worry people tend to have when it comes to EVs has to do with ‘range anxiety’ - the creeping fear that your EV will run out of juice before you can find a suitable place to recharge the battery. It’s an understandable concern: Australia is a very large country, and currently the EV infrastructure here isn’t where it needs to be in terms of supporting EVs to take long-distance drives. Having said that, EV range is improving: the Tesla Model S has an estimated range of 652km (ICE vehicles, on average, have a range of 400km to 800km, although some larger vehicles can go over 1800km on a full tank), and moves are being made by several companies to create an EV battery that can generate a range of over 1000km.EV batteries are a lot like Goldilocks’ taste in porridge - too hot or too cold gets the big thumbs down, whereas somewhere in the middle is about right. Extreme heat can speed up the degradation of an EV battery pack, whereas extreme cold can negatively affect the vehicle’s range. That results in having to be more mindful of what temperatures your EV is exposed to, as blaring heat from the sun or frigid conditions are only going to do damage. First, the good news: EVs are far less likely to catch fire than ICE vehicles, with a recent report from Tesla revealing its cars are 11 times less likely to catch fire than ICE vehicles. EVs also take longer to catch alight, giving passengers more time to get a safe distance away from the vehicle. Where EV battery fires get tricky is for firefighters: they are harder to put out when compared to fires in ICE vehicles, and may require larger amounts of water, or even a special fire extinguisher, to be effectively quashed. New solid-state batteries are currently under development for EVs use non-flammable electrolytes, which will eradicate the risk of battery fires altogether. A major drawback to EVs is how long it takes them to charge. Whereas filling your ICE vehicle’s tank with petrol takes mere minutes, charging an EV can take much longer - 15 minutes to 48 hours - depending on which type of charger you’re using (Level 1 AC trickle charging using a domestic socket, Level 2 AC fast charging, or Level 3 DC rapid charging). Which brings us to the next point: there is no universal standard when it comes to plugs, in the same way that the nozzle on a petrol pump is the same regardless of what petrol station you visit (although obviously diesel and petrol are different). Besides figuring out what charger is compatible for your EV, you also have to figure out what cables and adapters you may need. Currently, there are a few types: Type 1 AC (also known as J1772 or SAE J1772), Type 2 AC (also known as IEC 62196 or a Mennekes plug, which is as close as Australia comes to a standard plug), CCS2 (Combined Charging System), CHAdeMO, and a proprietary Tesla plug that is capable of Level 1, Level 2, and Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC). Yes, it all sounds confusing, but with a bit of research, you’ll be able to get your head around which plug is which. This is an obvious one: EVs are a fair bit more expensive than ICE vehicles at the moment for a variety of reasons (car companies trying to recoup research and development costs, lack of meaningful government incentives to encourage uptake, costly battery packs), which is a barrier for a lot of consumers. Price parity between EVs and ICE vehicles is expected to occur in the next five or so years, making EVs more accessible, thanks in part to the cost of battery packs dropping, and an increase in EV models hitting the market. EVs, with their delightful zero-emission tailpipes, are almost certainly better for the environment, but that doesn’t mean they’re 100 per cent carbon neutral. Unless you’re charging your car with renewable energy generated by wind or solar, you’re likely using electricity that’s been generated in a power plant emitting CO2, and the production of EVs also involves the releasing of carbon emissions. Not that car companies aren’t working on it: Polestar, Volvo’s EV performance-car division, has announced plans to manufacture the world’s first carbon-neutral car by 2030, and several other car companies have announced plans to go completely carbon neutral in the coming years.

Yes, you can charge an electric car at home using either a standard wall socket or a dedicated AC fast charger (often referred to generically as a ‘wallbox’ charger, although ‘Wallbox’ is an actual brand of charger). Petrol stations - those monuments to expensive fuel, overpriced junk food and restrooms that hygiene forgot - aren’t exactly at the top of anyone’s ‘must visit’ list when they leave the house (although they are handy for checking tyre pressures). Which is part of the appeal of electric vehicles (EVs): to get them all charged up and ready to silently roll, you don’t have to leave the house. Ever. Both EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) need to be plugged in to an external power source to charge their onboard battery packs, and it’s as simple and straightforward as plugging in your mobile phone when it needs a charge. A cable, which is typically supplied when you buy an EV, but is also available from a number of specialist retailers, can be plugged in to a standard 240-volt, AC (alternating current) domestic wall socket, giving you the freedom to charge wherever you can find one (which is: almost everywhere). This is also known as Level 1 AC ‘trickle charging’, and what you’re getting power-wise is around 2.0kW of power through a normal 10-amp socket. It’s the slowest method of charging your EV, and it can take anywhere from four to 48 hours to fully charge a battery from empty, depending on how big your EV’s battery capacity is (as a rule of thumb, divide the kWh of your battery by two, and that should give you a decent indicator of many hours it’ll take to charge). The kW offered while charging is equivalent to the kilometres you’ll get from every 10 minutes of charging, so 2.0kW will give you around 2km of range for every 10 minutes you charge. Read more: Will electric cars ever be cheaper in Australia?Electricity retailers in Australia charge between 20 and 35 cents per kWh. The MG ZS EV, Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle at $44,990, plus on-road costs, has a 44.5kWh battery. If your electricity rate was 20 cents per kWh, that means it would cost a grand total of $8.90 to fully charge the battery - significantly less than the average cost of filling a tank with petrol. If your electricity at home is harnessed via renewable solar energy, congratulations: the cost to charge your EV is a delightful zero (as long as you charge it during the day, when it's sunny). Electric car charging at home in Australia can also be done via a dedicated fast charger. Often referred to as ‘Level 2 AC fast charging’, this is - you guessed it - a lot faster than AC trickle charging. AC fast chargers up the power output to 7.2kW for standard 240-volt single-phase wiring, and 22kW if you have 415-volt three-phase power at your disposal. A 7.2kW charger will give you 7.2km of range every 10 minutes, whereas the 22kW charger will give you 22km of range every 10 minutes. Again, the time it takes to charge your EV battery from empty to full entirely depends on the size of the car’s battery capacity (again, divide the battery capacity by the charging power to work it out). Before you decide which AC fast charger to get, be aware that some EVs - namely PHEVS - will only charge at a maximum rate of 3.6kW or 7.6kW, so getting a 22kW charger is a bit pointless if you own a car that can’t utilise that kind of power. Read more: Every electric car available in AustraliaA Level 2 7.2kW charger costs around $950 to $1500 plus installation, although many car companies include free installation when you purchase an EV. A Level 2 22kW charger is a little dearer, and costs around $1000 to $3000, plus installation.EVSECost: From $950Touting themselves as ‘Australia’s #1 supplier and installer of universal electric vehicle chargers’, EVSE sells a range of cables and chargers so you can take some EV power direct to your home. Its Ocular home universal charging station starts at $950 for a 7kW model, and $1150 for a 22kW model.https://evse.com.au Jet ChargeCost: From $950Jet Charge claims to be Australia's leading hardware supplier and installer of EV charging infrastructure, and it's been installing charging stations in homes since the Tesla Model S launched in Australia in 2014. Its chargers range from the 7.2kW QUBEV universal electric vehicle charger for $950, all the way up to the Wallbox Commander 2 for $2490.https://jetcharge.com.au/EV PowerhouseCost: From $899Lo and behold, another charging station company that claims to be ‘Australia's #1 EV Charging Station Distributor’. EV Powerhouse offer 7, 11 and 22kW chargers, with prices starting at $899 for the Teison Design 360 7KW Charging Station, to $2,250 for the Teison EV Wallbox PRO-22KW Smart OCPP.https://evpowerhouse.com.au/Read more: Everything you need to know about charging electric cars

Yes, there is an argument that Genesis launching a station wagon is a bit like someone attempting to make money by announcing they’ve come up with a new DVD player, or perhaps even a black and white TV.

Polestar is to Volvo what IKEA meatballs are to any other brand you might pick up at the supermarket: a superior Swedish work of art that manages to  improve upon the competition in almost every conceivable way, even if, on paper, they sound like the same thing. 

The fact there’s still no sign of flying cars outside my house, a couple of decades into the 21st century, is crushingly disappointing, but at least car boffins are sort of heading in that general direction by developing vehicles fuelled by the same stuff that powers rocket ships: hydrogen. (And, in a more Back to the Future II fashion, by effectively creating cars with their own power plants on b

Aside from the umbilical type - which do seem quite necessary - cords and cables are usually a pain, either getting in a tangle, fraying and refusing to work properly, or providing an opportunity for you to trip over something. 

BYD, or BYD Auto Co Ltd, if you want to use its full title, is a Chinese car company founded in 2003 and based in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, which makes a range of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles and petrol engine vehicles, as well as buses, trucks, electric bicycles, forklifts and rechargeable batteries.

If you’re the kind of person who still hasn’t gotten their head around DVD players, and you prefer your technological advancements to arrive at the speed of a tortoise rather than a hare, the concept of hydrogen cars may cause you to pine for the days when penny-farthings ruled the roads.