Not Sure About EVs? Try Before You Buy
Renting an EV for a country trip or a city weekend could help answer your questions and dispel your fears. Check out these handy tips to ensure a positive experience.
Major (and many minor) car rental companies have introduced electric vehicles to their fleets, taking advantage of generous concessions for fleet buyers and lower maintenance costs. In the next few years those concessions will translate into a thriving second hand EV market (hire companies are one of the largest sources of second hand vehicles), but in the meantime you can enjoy a range of EVs by renting them, either in your hometown, or at airport rental depots.
As well as traditional car rental companies, you might also want to try peer-to-peer rental service Evee.com.au. Their service connects you with private EV owners and you could well find a bargain quite close to home. But shop around to get a feel for rates.
Depending on what you rent and from whom, you might not pay much more than an equivalent petrol car. But you’ll save on fuel: even using commercial fast chargers, you’ll probably pay only half of what it would cost for petrol to go an equivalent distance in a similar vehicle class. And if you charge at home the costs are a lot less.
Top Tips
Before buying our first EV, our family rented several in Australia and New Zealand. Most of our experiences were terrific, but we did learn a thing or two along the way. Here are our top tips:
Ask what year and model of the particular EV and Google the WLTP range to give you an idea. The range figures are based on a mix of urban and highway driving. On the open road you’ll get maybe 80% of that figure, because the start/stop of city driving is beneficial to the regenerative braking capability of an EVs (the battery charges as you coast down hill or brake). Also Google the maximum charging capacity of the vehicle in AC (alternating current, typically 7 kW or 22 kW) and DC (direct current, typically 50 kW or more).
Make sure the rental company supplies a charging cord that plugs into a normal 3 pin socket, so you can slow charge overnight. We pack a long extension cord too so we know we won’t get caught short. Also ask them what other cables they supply. Most fast chargers have a cable that connects directly to the car, but some slower chargers may need a connector.
Be a bit cautious of older EVs. We once rented an older Nissan Leaf, and the practical range was under 200km, which was a little frustrating. Luckily we were traveling around New Zealand so there was plenty to stop and see, and their charging infrastructure was fine. Most contemporary EVs have usable ranges well in excess of 300 km up to nearly 600 km.
Find out whether the rental company has deals with any of the EV charging companies. For example, they might supply an RFID fob for certain types of chargers or provide a code (but you might need to download an additional charging app). NRMA’s fast chargers across NSW are currently free to all (you don’t even have to be a member) but not for much longer. Just like a petrol rental, you’ll be expected to return the car with about the same amount of charge as you receive it, so do factor a top up charge into your travel plans.
Download the Plugshare.com app on your phone and put in the model of car you’re considering renting then you can get an idea of where compatible chargers are along your route. There are only a couple of different plug types and some chargers accommodate both. They are colour coded in terms of their speed.
Charging rates vary:From a standard 3 pin plug you’ll get about 10km of range per hour of charge (which might be fine for topping up overnight)
From a basic Level 2 AC charger (7 kW) around 45-50km of range per hour, up to 150km for a 22kW version.
For a standard Level 3 DC fast charger (50 kW) 300-350km per hour
For a supercharger (typically 150-300 kW) you might get up to 80% charge in only 15-20 minutes, but note that not all EVs can charge at that speed.
It’s important to understand that once the battery gets to about 80% charge, the Level 2 and Level 3 charging rates will slow down in order to protect the battery. It might slow down more between 90% and 100%, so factor that into your timings.
If you are slow charging at your accommodation it pays to ask first - as more people do it the costs will mount up for the accommodation provider and even if they don’t have a pricing structure, slow charging is probably costing them around 40-50 cents per hour so you may wish to leave a contribution.
In the unlikely event you do get into trouble, it also pays to ask the rental company up front if they have a breakdown service baked into the rental cost. You wouldn’t be the first driver to run out of charge (or fuel) on the side of a rural road, but it’s easily avoided.
Start simple. Don’t try to drive into remote Australia in an EV until you’ve had some practice with regional weekends away.
Planning Ahead
Taking a trip in an EV requires a little more planning, but you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly. Currently, it’s a bit frustrating figuring out that you might have to download and create accounts for several charging service providers. Traveling in areas with patchy mobile reception occasionally means you might not be able to use an app to activate a charger, so you might also want to research known dead zones for your mobile provider.
Sometimes chargers will be in use or out of service - here the PlugShare app is invaluable, as it has a check in feature allowing users to let others know the status of each charger in real time (though not everybody contributes updates). Commercial charging apps might also advise if the charger you’re aiming for is currently in use.
A Better Way to Travel
On the upside, EVs are great to drive: quieter and smoother, with no gear changes, less vibration and zippy acceleration. On some models (particularly Teslas) you use the brake less often, because as soon as you remove your foot from the accelerator pedal the regenerative feature kicks in and the car will start to slow where a petrol car would coast (this means less brake wear too). Many drivers report arriving at their destination feeling more refreshed than in a petrol car. Plus - no smelly and toxic exhaust fumes.
The beauty of regional EV driving is that the fact that you need to stop a bit longer to charge than you would if you were filling up at a smelly servo means you’ll see small towns that you might never stop at. We look for chargers that are near small town centres, then spend the time wandering around and sampling the local wares.
While they’re perfect for a meandering road trip, even when you’re trying to get from A to B, if you rent an EV with at least 400km of range and are topped up when you depart, you probably won’t wind up stopping any more often than in a petrol car, given the need to eat, stretch your legs and use the amenities. All the better if there is a charger available at your accommodation, as is becoming more common..
Renting a few EVs over the course of a year is a great way to decide which one you might want to buy, as well as allowing you to take lower emissions weekends away. There are a growing number of EV drivers who have successfully circumnavigated Australia (including towing a caravan!) and crossed the Nullarbor: it’s all doable with the right preparation, and getting easier as new chargers are added every month.