My spouse and I lately drove 2,000 km in our EV from our off-grid house 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 night time driving result in this increased energy use. The cabin temperature was saved at 22 levels.
An fascinating remark is evaluating our earlier financial diesel hatch with the EV utilizing MJ/100 km: an vitality effectivity unit not at all times quoted in evaluating the 2 forms of automobile.
The diesel hatch averaged 5L/100 km or much less on a protracted journey. Taking the diesel vitality worth at 39 MJ/litre, the ICE automobile used about 195 MJ/100 km, while the vitality use within the EV diverse 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 prior to now may give us 1000 to 1100 km per tank.
Nonetheless, the electrical energy price 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).
Alternatively, charging took longer and infrequently needed to happen at a spot we’d not have chosen to cease. Normally although we have been capable of go away the automobile and have a stroll or a cup of espresso. We in all probability walked additional than we’d 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 enhance in charging stations will turn into an issue for lengthy distance travellers. Alternatively, commuters with house or work web site 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 time 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 must be charged to drift earlier than energy is made obtainable for the automobile charger.
Charging at house is usually tremendous, though doing so in mid-winter has not at all times been profitable. Earlier than the times shortened to mid-winter and the cloud cowl turned virtually fixed, the automobile (which isn’t used every day) may simply be charged by the system.
In that notably cloudy interval, although these batteries take up cost quickly, by the point the batteries get charged there was not sufficient photo voltaic vitality to divert to the automobile.
Nevertheless, 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 maintain 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 dust roads now we have to drive on should not creating the issue which will happen on an EV with much less floor clearance. The 2 major criticisms are:
The radio within the Polestar solely will get DAB and FM – DAB isn’t 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.