My spouse and I lately drove 2,000 km in our EV from our off-grid residence in Western Victoria to the central Queensland coast, averaging 500 to 600 km per day.
Power use went from 18.5 kWh/100 km within the chilly and moist south, to about 15.7 kW/h/100km within the hotter north. Rain, chilly and a few evening driving result in this larger energy use. The cabin temperature was saved at 22 levels.
An attention-grabbing remark is evaluating our earlier financial diesel hatch with the EV utilizing MJ/100 km: an vitality effectivity unit not all the time quoted in evaluating the 2 sorts of automobile.
The diesel hatch averaged 5L/100 km or much less on an extended journey. Taking the diesel vitality worth at 39 MJ/litre, the ICE automotive used about 195 MJ/100 km, while the vitality use within the EV diversified between 67 to 57 MJ/100 km.
Compared to the diesel hatch, we have been barely inconvenienced by charging in contrast with filling the gasoline tank which previously may give us 1000 to 1100 km per tank.
However, the electrical energy value in travelling to Queensland was lower than the equal quantity of diesel, at about $120 for electrical energy versus about $180 for diesel. (Primarily based on noticed common on the time of $1.80/L).
Then again, charging took longer and sometimes needed to happen at a spot we might not have chosen to cease. Usually although we have been capable of go away the automotive and have a stroll or a cup of espresso. We in all probability walked additional than we might have if we have been filling with diesel.
We additionally not often needed to wait to cost, however an elevated uptake of EVs with out an equal improve in charging stations will change into an issue for lengthy distance travellers. Then again, commuters with residence or work website chargers received’t face this drawback. Expertise up to now suggests travelling from the Wimmera to Melbourne additionally received’t pose an issue in both summer season or winter.
Operating an EV off-grid
Our property is completely off grid. The photo voltaic system consists of 14.25 kW of panels and a 15 kWh lithium titanate battery system. The EV charger is a 7 kW single section Ocular EVSE. The photo voltaic batteries have to be charged to drift earlier than energy is made accessible for the automotive charger.
Charging at residence is usually effective, though doing so in mid-winter has not all the time been profitable. Earlier than the times shortened to mid-winter and the cloud cowl turned virtually fixed, the automotive (which isn’t used each day) may simply be charged by the system.
In that significantly cloudy interval, despite the fact that these batteries take up cost quickly, by the point the batteries get charged there was not sufficient photo voltaic vitality to divert to the automotive.
Nonetheless, there was by no means a problem in driving the 45 km to city to cost throughout this overcast winter. Longer, clearer days imply that we’ll hold the cost up purely by solar energy for all native use.
General, we discover the Polestar is nice to drive, and the tough and corrugated grime roads we have now to drive on are usually not creating the issue which will happen on an EV with much less floor clearance. The 2 essential criticisms are:
The radio within the Polestar solely will get DAB and FM – DAB is not any good outdoors the capital cities, and the FM reception is limited- clearly meant to be offset by the web and Google and
The shortage of a spare wheel. For nation driving, that may result in an nervousness higher than vary nervousness.