Australia may have just a handful of electric cars currently available on the market, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to absorb and learn when choosing which is the best electric car to buy.
The key issue, of course, is price. The higher up front cost of electric vehicles (EVs) has been cited many times as a key barrier for uptake in Australia, where the transition to zero emissions vehicles is lagging sorely behind the rest of the world.
Another key factor in choosing an EV is how far it can drive on one charge.
Although “range anxiety” for day-to-day trips is not something to worry about – even early short range EVs such as the 2011 Nissan Leaf could drive nearly 120km on one charge, about three times that of the average Australian daily commute of 38km, it remains a key consideration, particularly for those with regular long trips.
As does the speed which which a car can charge – even though many people simply charge their cars at home overnight, or at work (much like a mobile phone). At certain times the ability to top up in a short matter of time cannot be avoided.
And there are other factors too: Suitability for purpose is also a key factor for switching to an electric vehicle – no point buying a hatchback when you need a wagon, after all, or what if you’re looking for the most up-to-date features in driver assist technology?
To help answer all those questions, or at least to provide the data to help consumers make a decision, is a new Google doc that has been prepared by EV enthusiast Lawrence Low.
“I have put together a comparison of all the battery only electric vehicles in Australia that supports DC fast charging under $100,000.00,” shared Low in a post in Facebook group “Electric Vehicles for Australia“.
The chart thoughtfully lists everything about all EVs available now (or may be available soon), that have the capacity to charge on DC fast chargers as well as the slower home or destination AC chargers, and for the sake of those without the budget for high-priced premium EVs, he has limited the list to EVs that cost under $100K.
This includes the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Tesla Model 3 (which became available on Friday in two versions, the Performance and the Standard Range Plus), the new Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.