We’re usually focussed on saving people money at the pump, but electric vehicle (EV) drivers can feel the pinch too! Compared to traditional fuel, charging your vehicle may be helping the planet, but it’s not so kind on your bank balance!
With the cost of charging your car an increasing issue, we thought we’d better take a look at how to run your EV as efficiently as possible…
Driving efficiently will help you to maximise the range of your electric vehicle and is especially important if you’re making a long journey. According to experts in low emission vehicles, using efficient driving techniques, an EV can be driven over 600 miles on a single charge!
None of us like to be stuck in traffic but unfortunately it’s sometimes an inevitable part of our day. If you can miss driving during rush hour then do, for those that can’t, think about how you drive. Stopping and starting uses a lot of energy. Instead of braking and accelerating try and move at a steady slow speed instead.
Many newer vehicles have specialist eco features that can make your driving more efficient such as regenerative braking – make sure you know and understand all these features and use them if they’re available.
All cars use more power when they are carrying extra weight. So take all of the stuff out of your boot that you don’t need and leave it at home! If you have a roof rack, as well as adding extra weight, it makes your car less aerodynamic, so in between trips, when you don’t need it, make the effort to take it off.
This is one for when you’re out of the city and driving more quickly. Having the windows open makes the car less aerodynamic so there is more drag on the car, meaning you’ll be using more energy.
Air-con is an absolute must at some points in the year, so much so, that it can become a norm to leave it running. However, operating your car’s air-con uses a significant amount of extra power, so make the effort to turn it off when you don’t really need it.
The lower the pressure of your tyres the more power your car needs to use to get it moving. So check your tyre pressure every few weeks to make sure they’re at the correct level.
While it’s important to conserve momentum to drive efficiently, driving faster and accelerating harshly uses more of your car’s stored energy. So, avoid speeding and harsh breaking and you won’t need to charge your car so soon.
Following our tips above, you can use your car efficiently, but to really save money you need to charge efficiently as well!
The Government’s GenLess website has some great advice on EVs we’d highly recommend reading through when you have time, but here’s our condensed charging top tips!
The main tip is to charge at home whenever you can… You won’t pay a connection or membership fee and you can make the most of a domestic rate (even though domestic rates are currently high they are still cheaper than what you will pay out and about).
The speed you charge your vehicle can have a significant effect on the savings you make. Different vehicles with different size batteries will restrict the type of charging you can use, and the time you have available will also be a determining factor, but in general, slow charging is the most cost-effective way to charge both in public and at home.
While it’s not specifically a cost-saving tip, it is always important to protect your car battery to avoid long-term costs. Slow charging does that, and so does keeping your charge level between 20% and 80%. Less common advice also suggests avoiding charging everyday – as we’re told not to plug in our mobile phones every night – your car battery also benefits from not being constantly topped up.
Topping up your vehicle’s charge during your journey will invariably be expensive as the type of charging available at garages etc is usually restricted to rapid charge points, which cost more. Plan your journeys to minimise transit charging wherever possible and research the cheaper options for when you have to make a stop.
If you need a map of charging points across the country, NZTA offer one you can search by region and PlugShare has a great live map showing how many chargers are available in real time.
Make the most of free charging! Across New Zealand you’ll find numerous free charging points, typically in public spaces such as supermarket car parks, shopping malls, campgrounds and tourist spots, usually where you are already paying for a service. These free chargers are invariably the slower AC points and there are often time restrictions on the facility to free up the point for another car. Whatever the restrictions, they are still free, but to make the most of that facility it requires planning… See point 3!
By charging your vehicle off-peak (generally overnight, between 9pm and 7am, and for some suppliers between 11am and 5pm) energy is cheaper. However, even charging a vehicle off-peak will increase your previous domestic energy use by a huge amount, so it’s essential to check you are on the best tariff. The government’s Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko has some helpful advice for checking how you are being charged for your energy.
Some energy suppliers have specific plans for EV owners so be sure to speak to your energy provider about what they can offer you. MoneyHub has some advice on comparing EV power plans.
You may not have much choice if you are mid journey, but be sure to check charge point pricing even if you’ve planned your charging stop – some connection charges are significantly higher than others and there may be an alternative near by.
The grants initially offered to subsidise private EV purchase and at-home charging points are now closed for applicants. But with the push to achieve zero emissions, there are likely to be new schemes announced over the coming years. We recommend keeping an eye on the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi website. If you’re keen to secure funding for a move to clean transport and of course an EV charging point at home there are green loans available with interest rates as low as 0%! The government’s Gen Less website has more information. There is also information on alternative funding and support for energy efficient living on the Te Tari Tiaki Pūngao Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority website.
