I can imagine there were farmers making that same claim a century back about their draught horses. And you can guarantee that technology is moving a hell of a lot faster now than it did back then.
realtrader1,
Oct 5, 10:38am
From your link: "There are only around 20 moving parts in an electric engine, compared with nearly 2,000 in an ICE (internal combustion engine), so your EV will need a lot less maintenance." And you believe that? You have to look at the big picture. Think and read more widely. Look at this article. Basically an advert. Clearly an axe to grind and too many half-truths. For a start there are clearly fewer moving parts in an electric vehicle however there are way more than 20. Also, wrongly, this article is only really about moving parts and a comparison to ICE. Consider the number of electronics in the EV and that will only increase. Also do not think that the electric motor / motors will go for ever. Are they or will they be sealed for life? Then there is the whopping great battery and its inevitable needed replacement, huge depreciation, range (and i am talking real world range here so, winter lots of accessories on and hey its a car so let's tow a trailer and fill the car with some portly people, because that is real world stuff and true comparisons are vitally important). So add to that charging, impending RUC for starters. Bear in mind, with all the ever increasing disposability, complexity and ever increasing list of consumables in modern cars and thus the huge revenue for the manufacturer do you seriously believe there will be a change of ethics and paradigm shift to very few consumables and so very little revenue for the manufacturer post sale? Or is it that many are being taken in by the hype? Now I have not mentioned hybrid which of course is even worse than the typical dedicated modern ICE pile of junk that has been foisted on us. Nor have I mentioned the shortage and cost of precious minerals required and the TRUE cost of manufacture! View the article for what it is but don't post it as though it were actually true.
tony9,
Oct 5, 10:57am
That is an incredibly biased BS article with an agenda.
Yes, an ICE engine has a lot of moving parts, all very well developed and proven good for hundreds of thousands of Km. But only 20 in an EV?
Lets start with the cooling system and it's pumps and fans. Then wheels and bearings, steering, suspension. Transmission (varies by model but a reduction gear system is always needed).
Then, as far as maintenance we have high current and voltage electronics which gradually deteriorate due to molecular erosion. Then there are the batteries.
gazzat22,
Oct 5, 11:13am
And once upon a time most parts on a car were repairable with a kit but now its throwaway. and buy (if they,re available off the shelf in NZ not Japan or Germany) a new part at great cost. And I doubt if EV,s are very different.Properly maintained(and not abused/thrashed a ICE car will last a long time with maybe tyres and brakes renewed(same as an EV)
s_nz,
Oct 5, 11:42am
There no production EV's available that meet that critera.
Closest light vehicle is the model X. 475km range (not towing), and 2,250kg tow rating. Towing big things cuts down range a lot. Probably would need to stop twice to charge on that trip with a model x towing a big trailer.
That said, we are in the eairly adopter stage with EV's. Relatively few people tow trailers over 2,000kg, and frankly they are better served with diesel vehicles, and likely will be for years to come.
Many other vehicles in the NZ fleet are lower hanging fruit for EV replacement. Many NZ households have mutiple cars, one or more which could easily be replaced with currently available EV's (although cost is a barrier).
realtrader1,
Oct 5, 11:43am
^^^^^THIS^^^^
harm_less,
Oct 5, 11:53am
The largest proportion of an EV's cost is in the battery. Tesla's recent announcement on their battery tech advances will have a huge effect on battery and therefore EV price. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpzZLFLFRV0
nesta129,
Oct 5, 11:54am
I wonder if they will make EV's and as an extra option,a towable generator that will charge the EV as it is moving haha. Yes EV's have less maintenance costs but most premium dealers are now selling options on their cars.Like to unlock the car's top speed etc.
And also,I am not sure whether to believe this or not but Tesla does sell upgrades to unlock the range of their vehicles.Only that bought option is non-transferable onto the next owner.Heard the story from a workmate whos friend sold his tesla with the upgrade to a dealer who on-sold the car and Tesla had deactivated the upgrade as it cannot be transferred onto a new owner.
harm_less,
Oct 5, 12:05pm
Strange comparison against a hybrid's fuel cost considering the Yaris is minimising its fuel use by way of its EV componentry and the Yaris, like any hybrid, will be saddled with RUCs both directly and as a portion of its fuel cost. That is unless the introduction of RUCs to EVs comes part and parcel with a full overhaul of the RUC system which charges ALL vehicles on a per kilometre basis as diesels currently are, which would make a lot of sense and is probably the only practical way for hybrids not to be taxed out of existence by RUCs.
harm_less,
Oct 5, 12:08pm
What you're suggesting is essentially how hybrids function, especially those like the early BMW i3 with the "range extender".
apollo11,
Oct 5, 12:15pm
I think they are talking about 20 moving parts in an electric motor and drive train as opposed to an ICE equivalent. The rest of the car is common to both of them. Ev's are a bit of a mixed bag at the mo, they need to come down in price. But finally some real dollars are being poured into battery research. Some chemistries are several times more energy dense than lithium ion, so impossible to judge the future capabilities of ev's by today's lineup when they might be totally different in 20 years. Like everything else in life, you weigh up the pluses and minuses and decide if something is right for you. For some people it's an ev, for others it's an old landrover, I'm not going to scoff at anyone's choices.
bitsnpieces2020,
Oct 5, 12:27pm
most people are not new car buyers, and research tells us its more environmentally friendly to keep your ICE vehicle maintained and road worthy for as long as possible, than it is to replace it early for a new EV.
richardmayes,
Oct 5, 12:29pm
Just because it's taken a while to get here, that doesn't mean it is a bad idea.
For the first 80 years cars didn't need an electronic computer "brain" to run the engine; now, show me a new car that DOESN'T have one!
bumfacingdown,
Oct 5, 12:41pm
You bring up a good point re components of the batteries, as I stands I understand China has the biggest control over that these days and the Congo produces a large % of the cobalt used with poor human rights, what happens to the price when that gets sorted out?
Tesla recently announced that they will be phasing out cobalt in their batteries though admittedly this isn't going to be straightforward so expect it to take a few years yet.
bumfacingdown,
Oct 5, 1:35pm
That's one component
harm_less,
Oct 5, 2:12pm
But the component that has become the Archille's heel of the EV industry in regard to its questionable mining practices in DRG and so an input that definitely needs addressing.
apollo11,
Oct 5, 2:26pm
A lot of research is going into battery chemistries involving sulphur, silicon, sodium and aluminium. All very common materials. Tesla is starting to invest in battery recycling, as it makes sense to use existing materials as opposed to refining raw materials.
s_nz,
Oct 5, 5:34pm
It's not a strange comparison at all. It is the most economical (non plug in) vehicle I know of, which makes it a logical comparison point to plug in vehicle given low running costs are a selling point.
Non plug in (petrol) hybrids exclusively use a petrol for energy, a fuel that is taxed at source. As such they are not liable for RUC's.
The EV RUC exemption only applies to vehicles "whose motive power is derived wholly or partly from an external source of electricity".
With regards to plug in hybrids, in absence of the EV exemption, they would be required to pay RUC's. Disallowing refund on petrol tax paid would mean they get double taxed when runing on petrol. Allowing refunds (as is the case with USA sourced camper-vans over 3500kg running petrol engines) would mean masses of paperwork.
There is a good chance that there will be some kind of shake up of the RUC system before it is re-introduced on EV's.
skiff1,
Oct 5, 5:45pm
Sorry for shouting but it’s pretty obvious.
intrade,
Oct 5, 7:37pm
geez what have i missed lol. i said that ageas ago ones got to have more then 1 screw loose to think electric cars are cheaper. You also have to write off the battery in 7 years as the car value is close to 0 with a dead battery.
cattleshed,
Oct 5, 7:46pm
It is the real and overall cost not just now but going forward that has to be figured but too many are persuaded by hype. Incidentally as with ICE, the 'fuel' (regardless of what that fuel is) is only one consideration. There will EFFECTIVELY be as many consumables (overall) as with the current line up of ICE. Now I don't actually mean as many consumables NUMERICALLY but rather as an overall running cost and with depreciation etc factored in. No manufacturer is going to settle for a smaller piece of the after sales consumables pie. Initially, maybe but not long term.
wachael1,
Oct 5, 7:57pm
Yes - I said that in my next paragraph. Did you not read any further? However you pay far far less than at a public charging station.
Best you invest in the F150 hybrid with 7.2kW available then unless you want to cosey up next to the EV for half a day for any reasonable amount of charge, and even then the 7.2kW is split between a collection of outlets.
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