Will these car work with 240v here in NZ as Japan is 110v? I see some nice Toyota Aqua with plugin hybrids or even Nissan Leaf available.
petal_91,
Jul 31, 7:20am
That would be no problem. You'd just need to buy the right plug in charger from Toyota or the aftermarket that uses 240v. Some of those are quite expensive though like around $500.
westwyn,
Jul 31, 6:53pm
There are several importers / dealers in New Zealand who specialise in PHEV's (plug-in hybrid vehicles) and EV's, and as part of the sale package they supply the necessary cabling, and can recommend the best type of installation for your home garage etc. There have been a few issues (I am told, I can't verify) with some of the cheaper cables overheating- beware!
Nissan Leaf is the obvious volume selling model in Japan, although mostly only the GEN-1's as the GEN-2's are still VERY expensive to buy. Mitsubishi Outlander is another option- albeit a bigger one- and while the Prius PHEV is available, it certainly isn't cheap, either.
Nissan NZ have ceased selling the Leaf new here, simply because the pricing of the GEN-2 makes it a poor sales proposition.
piperguy,
Jul 31, 8:17pm
Nissan have definitely not stopped selling the Leaf here, it's on their website, furthermore they have dropped the price to $39K
tintop,
Jul 31, 9:01pm
Or contact Auckland Transformers for 230V to 110V unit.
petal_91,
Jul 31, 9:42pm
There wouldn't be that much in it but a charger cable designed for a 110V domestic socket is probably slower to charge than one designed for a 230V domestic socket. Also you might want to fit a higher amp fast charger in your garage for one of these anyway. Either way using the Japanese charger cable with a transformer is going to be less than optimal.
westwyn,
Aug 1, 6:56pm
Sorry petal_91, semantics, Nisan NZ may well still have a couple of old stock Leafs to sell (although I was told a couple of months ago they had no more stock) but they have ceased ordering any more NEW stock as far as I'm aware. Having it up on the website is as much "window dressing" as it is having actual product for sale- they were reduced in price some time ago when stock was still here. The GEN-2 has been determined by Nissan NZ to be too expensive for the NZ market- a bit like the fate of the Holden Volt (which was actually very good!) but at a "reduced" price of $75,000, simply refused to sell.
At this stage, the Outlander and the BMW I-3 (which I've also driven, and is VERY VERY good, but again- too expensive for a mass-market car here) are your best options for a NZ-new PHEV or EV.
The way forward for volume uptake of EV's for the immediate future are used imports.
tintop,
Aug 1, 8:46pm
A few assumptions there Petal_91, too many to be able to reach a definitive conclusion. :)
tintop,
Aug 1, 8:48pm
Hehe - You like the I3 too ?
Extra fun during my drive - a boy racer at the lights! Wheeeeee!
johotech,
Aug 1, 8:54pm
Japan is 100V, not 110V.
But nearly all Japanese houses have 200V available (2 phase) which they use for airconditioners. Every commercial building would also have 200V 3 phase available (or 200V 2 phase).
So it is possible that the car chargers are 200V, not 100V.
anirudhsood,
Nov 25, 9:07pm
I guess would be nice to know if they can be charged effectively without using a step down transformer
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.