the buzz box goes home

The buzz box went home this week - our trial is officially over, and aside from the formal surveying part of the trial, I thought I would reflect on our experience with this unique vehicle (you can read my previous posts on the trial here, here and here).

My overall feeling about the car is very positive. This is what I liked about it:
~ It's all electric - a step in the right direction from an environmental perspective
~ It's easy to drive - small, but perfect for the city or just around town. Four people fit comfortably.
~ The driving position is high (good vision), and getting little kids in an out of car seats is easier than a normal car because of the extra height
~ The electric engine is nippy - no lags, just power on demand. Better than I expected
~ It is amazingly easy to park - probably my favourite thing about driving it!
~ I have loved talking to people about it - so many people have been interested in what it is and how it works. I've had lots of people stop and talk to me in carparks and on the street. The feedback I've had from people has been 100% positive
~ It used far less electricity than I expected to charge it - almost un-noticable which is amazing considering that we were charging it every 3-4 days

For balance, here are the things that I didn't like much about the car:
~ The range of the charged engine - about 80km (give or take depending on drive mode and terrain). It's just not long enough. Without public charging stations and/or very fast charging (it takes 6 hours to charge a tank from empty) it is frustrating and easy to get caught out.
~ While electric vehicles are a step in the right direction, if our electricity continues to come from unsustainable sources (in Victoria's case, brown coal) it's hard to argue the full environmental benefits
~ The price of the car has just been announced ... $48,000. In my opinion, too expensive relative to other hybrid (and non-hybrid) options that offer more space and more reliability. This car will be available to buy from August.

It has been wonderful to be involved in this trial - I am truly grateful to the Victorian Government (especially the Department of Transport) for running it and seeking the experiences of real people in order to improve the product. There are some exciting things happening in this area at the moment, which is heartening. If you'd like to keep up to date with what's happening with the trial and future developments with electric cars in Victoria, visit this website.

Thanks to many of you, too, for your interest in this project. I have loved reading your comments.

electric car update

It's been about a month since my last update, which means that we're a bit over half way through our three month government trial of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV - a wholly electric car. We've been using the car almost exclusively this past month - to get a good idea of what it would be like to own it. We continue to use it a lot around our local area - picking up and dropping off kids and shopping. It's really perfect for this application.

"Refuelling"

The first major challenge for this car was getting us all to the airport and back. This car has a "fuel" gauge like any other car, except that what it's showing you is the amount of electric charge available. Our first trip to the aiprort took half a tank of charge. This was a little concerning as we aren't able to recharge anywhere except our house. How on earth would we get home with more weight in the car (two extra people) without running out of charge? We flew off for a few days and came back to hop in the car and see how far we would get. We had plans to "abort the mission" when we got close to empty - park the car somewhere and catch a cab home. On the way home, we decided to use the ECO mode (instead of normal DRIVE mode) - this reduces your overall speed considerably, but does conserve energy. After a slow trip on the Tulla Freeway (about 90kmph was our top speed) we made it home. At most, this was a 60km round trip. We were a little frustrated - you should be able to get comfortably to and from the airport from the inner eastern suburbs.

We had to do the same trip to the airport the following weekend. This time we used ECO mode on the trip to the airport, and DRIVE on the way back. We had more charge left than last time! The important thing about this trip is that we realised what an important role level ground makes to fuel efficiency. The trip to the airport is almost all uphill. The trip home is almost all downhill. So, in calculating where you are going, these factors need to be taken into account. The verdict ... this car needs a much longer range.

The other thing we've concluded is that you need to be able to just plug the car into any powerpoint to recharge. At the moment, the trial has partnered with BetterPlace to provide charging stations. However, you need a special plug (and the station of course) to recharge. There is an adaptor for a powerpoint, but it must be 15 amps (normal powerpoints are 10 amps). I get the use of dedicated charging stations for public places, but there has to be a fallback (other than calling a tow truck) if you run out of charge.

The charging station

OK. Now for some good news. We got our first electricity bill since we've had the car this week. To be honest, I've been dreading this bill - I had visions of a huge number staring back at me. As I said, we've been using this car almost exclusively this past month, which means fully charging it every 3-4 days. We do always charge at night, which means we're using off-peak power, but each charge takes about 6 hours. It was not possible to see any real increase in our electricity bill at all (maybe $20). I am impressed - this was not what I expected at all.

Thanks for all of your questions and interest in this car and the trial. As I mentioned in previous posts, we're not being paid in any way to participate, so our review of this car is as we experience it on a day-to-day basis. This car/technology has such potential, and hopefully feedback from this trial (including your comments) will make it more practical and viable.

Have a great Friday!

buzz box update

The Buzz Box (aka the electric car we are trialling)  is travelling well. As a result of lots of comments and emails about the car we are trialling, I thought I would give you an update. First of all, I should say that I am not being paid to do this trial or for my comments. The car is loaned to us for 3 months and we provide feedback to the State government, to give them information in order to decide if electric cars and their infrastructure should/could be rolled out in Victoria.

So, we've had the buzz box for a couple of weeks now. Mr 4 and I drive around in it most days. We tend to just travel locally as the range of the car still worries me. It seems to do about 80km on one charge. We've been recharging it every 3-4 days depending on how much we've been out and about (I don't like driving it with less than a quarter of a "tank"). We did the longest drive we've done today - about a 45km round trip. It still had about half a "tank" left, but I didn't use the air conditioner at all to conserve energy. My biggest concern is the situation where you have enough charge to get to and from where you're going, but none for a contingency like a long detour or traffic jam. The grand plan for electric cars is to have public charging stations all over the city, but for now, the only place I can charge it is at home, so we don't stray too far. I think for these cars to be viable, the range has to at least double, and be accompanied by a vast network of charging stations.

Stuff I love about the car - it's pretty zippy and keeps up with traffic no problem. It is an absolute breeze to park because it is so small, and because the wheels are located on each corner of the car (the turning circle is amazing!). I love the high seating position, and it's super easy if you have to lift kids into car seats. The boot is small, but has enough room for the groceries. Extra items fit pretty well in the back seat. The footwells are deep too which is handy.

Stuff I don't love about the car - no curtain airbags. The Victorian Government (through the TAC) is doing a big advertising campaign about curtain airbags, so it surprises me that they didn't demand them to be fitted to these vehicles. Lack of interior lighting at night. The cabin is in total darkness, so you have no idea if you are in park or drive without putting the overhead light on - very irritating.

All in all, I'm still enjoying driving it. Mr 4 thinks it's "the coolest" and is happy to drive around in a special car. He makes me laugh when we get in to go somewhere by asking if we have "enough power to make it"? Let me know if you have any questions or things you want to know. I'll do another update in a month or so. Thanks again for your interest.

Back to crafty posts tomorrow!

and now for something completely different ... electric cars

Yep, not really craft related, but related to my interest in sustainability. I've been driving around in an all electric car - we volunteered to trial it for the Victorian government. It has no engine. It's teeny, tiny. It makes no sound. It is day 5 of a three month trial. It is known as the "Buzz Box" at our place ...

To put you in the picture, here is some background ... Mr Yardage is a car enthusiast (translation - he loves cars ... we own 4 ... I know). Earlier in the year I saw an ad calling for volunteers to trial electric cars. We applied and were one of 60 families across the state who were accepted.

My professional background is environmental management, so it is with pleasure that our family participates in this trial. Having driven hybrid cars for a few years now, I am pleased to see all electric vehicles coming to the fore.

After 4 days, here are my thoughts ... it's quicker than I was expecting and it is great not to have the "lag" you often get in hybrid cars when the car switches from electric to petrol; I like the higher driving position; the charge lasts about 80km which means you have to really think about how far you are going; I love chatting to people about the car - people are very interested, which is great. Anyway, it's early days, but so far so good. For more information about the trial including how you can be involved later in the year, go here. Wave if you see me buzzing around the inner east of Melbourne!

Normal programming will resume tomorrow, including the announcement of the winner of my giveaway (there is still time to enter!)