Thread: Personal EV journey.

Originally Posted by doug3030

Apparently tortises do not need to swim.

In general I agree but there are exceptions. like the Western Swamp Tortoise.

Restricted to only two wild populations, there are less than 200 endangered Western Swamp Tortoises left. These are found near Perth in Western Australia.During winter and spring, the tortoises live in the water, feeding on insects, larvae and tadpoles. In the drier, hotter months they shelter under leaf litter and in holes and aestivate (sleep), not re-emerging until the winter.

Locally we also have a long necked version of the "eastern long necked turtle" but we also call them "tortoises" that live in swamps and rivers.
I researched this back in 2014 when I made these playground long necks tortoises.
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Ultra-fast niobium batteries boast 6-min charge for Lotus Elise-based EV | Ars Technica

Originally Posted by woodPixel

Ultra-fast niobium batteries boast 6-min charge for Lotus Elise-based EV | Ars Technica

Thanks WP. I would hope for 6mins given they're only charging a 35kWh battery using a 350 kW charger.
My guess is this is a theoretical estimate ie 350/35 = 0.10h =6 minutes
In practice very fast charging heats up most batteries more quickly than they can be cooled so the charging has to be slowed down so the heat can be dissipated.
eg when connected to a 250kW charger most batteries can only draw at most about 160kW for a few % of battery charge and then is less (eventually substantially less charge) after that. Newer cars/batterries can draw more.

The important thing is Niobium batteries have a lower resistance so don't heat up as fast so can better utilise a 350kW charger. Whether they can really fully utilise 350kW is another question.
Niobium is relatively rare and whether there is enough Nb on earth to substantially allow for large scale battery production is also likely to be an issue.

Check out a local stock on the ASX...WA1. Just discovered an excellent niobium deposit in WA. It's been very good to me (bought in at $1.50).......

This EV Towing Test Left Me SHOCKED - Watch and See Why ! | 4K - YouTube

So you have to disconnect the caravan to access the charging station, then charge the car for 30 minutes, all for a measly 100 miles of towing? Makes me glad I ordered a Prado and not an EV!

My daughter and son-in-law have an EV and a Toyota Hilux. Best of both worlds? Pretty sure there's no prospect of towing the triple horse trailer with the EV or even taking it on an extended family holiday.

Recently drove from Coolongolook NSW to Albury without having to stop for fuel (810km in a Toyota Aurion). There was a stop for lunch at a roadside rest area, the location of which was not determined by where we could take on 'fuel'.

My take on the towing video is that the range with the van connected was about 160 miles, 250km in our money. Probably fine for the UK, that would get you a third of the way from London to Scotland.

Originally Posted by aldav

My take on the towing video is that the range with the van connected was about 160 miles...

You're absolutely right. I misheard what he said. He said "we've done ninety miles and we have sixty left". The first time I watched I heard "six left".

Originally Posted by aldav

Best of both worlds?

I think so. An EV would be great for around town. Or if you want something with high performance for fun like Bob's.
I just spent $560 replacing the thermostat in my VW Passat. Before that was the timing belt, water pump and a couple of glow plugs. There's so many parts in an ICE engine that something's bound to need replacing before too long.

My take is subtly different.
Disconnecting the van to charge the EV is either
a. a temporary inconvenience -- future EV charging infrastructure on major routes will have bays long enough to accommodate the van and towing vehicle; or
b. something you will just have to get used to -- many boat ramps have separate parking bays for the boat trailer and the towing vehicle.


For me the major takeaway is the limited range of all EVs, especially when the EV is used for towing a caravan or boat trailer.
In the context of my 80% driving -- the percentage of use you really should consider, but very rarely do, when buying a vehicle -- the typical 80% use journey is either:
250 km (Canmore to Calgary return), almost all on freeway which equates to minimal regenerative braking;
500 to 600 km as a single journey, with two drivers, almost all on freeway or highway, so again minimal regenerative braking;
some journeys push 900 km, with a driver change every 3 hours or so.


A Tesla EV, like BobL's, will really struggle to go those sorts of distances without requiring several longish stops to charge the battery. Stops, that in practice, will likely add the cost of a night's accommodation to each 500km or longer journey.

Originally Posted by aldav

My take on the towing video is that the range with the van connected was about 160 miles, 250km in our money. Probably fine for the UK, that would get you a third of the way from London to Scotland.

my take is similar, but a bit more conservative.

The vehicle doing the towing was a top of the line BMW EV with a usable battery capacity of 106.3 kWh.
The tow BMW was achieving 1.4 miles per kWh, say 2.24 km/kWh.

Put the same or a similar van behind BobL's Tesla and the achievable van towing range will drop to around 170 km.
You wouldn't get from Sydney to Goulburn without something like an 80% recharge at Sutton Forest.

Originally Posted by ian

The vehicle doing the towing was a top of the line BMW EV with a usable battery capacity of 106.3 kWh.

And a price tag of AUD233,000.

Originally Posted by jack620

I think so. An EV would be great for around town. Or if you want something with high performance for fun like Bob's.

They're also lot of fun and relaxing for non-remote country driving as well, perhaps more so that town driving. After 4 weeks of EV ownership I'm sold and doubt I'll ever go back to an ICE vehicle. All that you need to do is plan ahead.

Now I have my spare tyre my next country trip is going to be to Walpole (410 km) on the south coast of WA. I'll be taking my 2 dogs so will be stopping once or twice to give them a break. I have a choice of 4 fast chargers to stop at along the way but when I do stop I won't need to charge for more than about 15 minutes - just to get me to my mates farm @ Walpole. I can then charge up over the next few days at his place from a 10A socket, but as of yesterday there is now a fast charger at Walpole - yes tiny old Walpole, population 429 people has a fast charger. They're popping up everywhere. Soon you will be able to go from Perth to Broome and even cross the Nullarbor with about 200km between fast chargers, if you need them.

Here is a map of Oz showng where just some of the chargers are located. The Brown ones are the faster chargers in place or scheduled to be built soon (spanner Icons).
see PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You for more detail
Screenshot 2023-07-29 at 6.33.06 pm.jpg
People have already been around Australia using EVs - admittedly using some creative charging from 3P outlets and caravan parks but remember this is really only just now getting started.

As for towing, when ICEs first came out they suffered the same stigma which is why horse and bullock draw cartage lasted for many decades after ICEs were commonly in use. EVs that tow and haul moderate loads, especially around town won't take that long to develop.

Originally Posted by BobL

EVs that tow and haul moderate loads, especially around town won't take that long to develop.

They already exist -- I understand from that great reliable resource youtube (I think Not Just Bikes is one source) -- that electric delivery vans are a common sight in The Netherlands.