New Zealand's only electric ute makes trip to EV expo at Whangārei Growers Market

New Zealand's first e-ute will be on show at the Whangārei Growers Market on the weekend. Photo / Supplied

The country's first e-ute will make its debut in Northland at a small-scale electric vehicle expo on the weekend.

Sceptics and enthusiasts will be able to take a close look at the ute and Tesla's latest SUV - neither released in New Zealand yet - on Saturday at the Whangārei Growers Market.

Anyone keen to learn more after the 6am market can head to the Northland Regional Council carpark in Water St at 10am for a two-hour information workshop focused on electric vehicles.

There you can witness an EV charging demonstration, learn about the basics, and ask any questions still unanswered.

Debate surrounded the topic of EVs after they were heralded as one of the ways forward in the fight against climate change.

And while a study by advisory firm EY revealed a jump in the number of Kiwis who want to make their next car an EV - the transition has been a slower road for farmers, who say they need an affordable option up to the job.

With the jury still out, the Advocate put questions to one of the country's leading EV proponents and Northlander Joe Camuso to help people learn more.

Northland Regional Council staff Emmanouela Calanou and Joe Camuso, a guru on all things electric vehicles, with one of the council EVs. Photo / Tania Whyte

Is an EV cheaper to own and/or cheaper to buy?
Every 100,000km travelled will save approximately $15,000 driving an EV versus internal combustion engine (ICE).

The Total Cost of Ownership (ToC) should be considered when buying a car. Depending on how much you drive, EVs can be cheaper when calculating TCO.

In addition, there are no oil changes, oil filters, fuel filters, air filters, cam belts, water pumps etc. We own two EVs - one with 220,000km and the other with 120,000km and I have only ever replaced the tyres and windshield wipers.

Are they more expensive to run than a standard vehicle?
If charged at home you can expect to pay about $4 per 100km versus approximately $20 per 100km for petrol or about one-fifth of the cost of a petrol car to operate.

Will charging an EV at home increase my power bill?
Yes, for average commute will increase your power bill about the same as a water heater (based on a house of two, so low hot-water usage).

Are public EV chargers free and how many are available in Northland?
Some of the slow chargers are free at cafes and hotels: think of the days of free Wi-Fi - a point of difference for your business.

Medium-to-fast chargers are supplied by private companies and require a return on investment; the typical cost to install an EV fast charger is approximately $90k depending on location.

Currently, there are 25 fast or on-route chargers in Northland and 52 slow or destination chargers listed on the Plugshare website.

Do electric cars break down more?
There is quality variability across all car brands - for example, some are more reliable than others.

However, electric cars have fewer moving parts and when well engineered have much fewer breakdowns. So much so, that car dealers are worried about losing their repair business and replacement parts.

Do EV batteries run out really fast?
Range is determined by the size of the battery. Most new EVs have a range between 250km to 600km depending on the battery size.

But when it comes to longevity, not all batteries are created equal. New chemistries being used in many modern EVs use Li-ion Phosphate (LFP) batteries. LFP batteries are very durable and lab tests have shown to have approximately 1.5 million km life before degrading 20 per cent.

These can be reused for home storage and recycled when at the end of life. Currently, approximately 96 per cent of the Li-ion battery can be recycled. Lab tests have indicated that recovered materials from old batteries are as good as virgin materials.

Can an EV ute really perform as well as a diesel ute?
E-utes are very new to markets, however, early reviewers have been very impressed with the versatility of an e-ute – for example, watch Sandy Monro's test drive of the Rivian e-ute and Ford F150 Lightning on YouTube.

These reviews rave about the utility of the e-ute with front trunk (FRUNK that transforms to a small office).

E-utes will perform much better than diesel utes with 100 per cent torque 100 per cent of the time.

What role can EVs play in responding to climate change?
Road transport is our fastest-growing source of emissions and accounts for nearly 20 per cent of total emissions.

We're a country of cars, SUVs and trucks - and the vast majority are powered by fossil fuels.

Given NZ's electricity generation is 80 per cent renewable, running an EV over an internal combustion engine reduces greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

Can Northland's infrastructure handle an increase in EVs?
Yes, most of the charging is done during off peak with lots of spare capacity in the network.

A Northpower study in 2014 showed that 80 per cent of homes could charge an EV at peak without causing stress to the grid.

The refinery has dropped approximately 30MW of baseload since converting to a fuel terminal - this is equivalent to 4.68 million km of EV travel per day or enough for 117,000 commuters each travelling 40km each day.