Hi All
We have so many cheap Japanese cars in New Zealand and are unlikely to see secondhand imports of electric cars for many years. So what are the major barriers to a leap in home EV conversions in NZ?
My guess is that the overlap between those that want to do it and those with the money to fund the entire job is quite low.
I just went through evalbum.com and noted down the stated price of most of the New Zealand cars (listed down below). Naturally there is a range and the major factor would be battery choice. I gather that AC vs DC doesn't make much difference to motor/controller price these days. Naturally, as this is about doing the conversion yourself, you are avoiding that part of the cost of conversion.
For those living in suburbs and driving to work each day I am looking at the data and thinking $20,000 may need to be budgeted on conversion to get a reliable vehicle capable of going the distance. The raw cost savings of using electricity over petrol might conservatively be over $50 a week. So just from looking at that one major cost saving, it would make it worth putting up to $43,000 on an existing 6% mortgage. Without access to a convenient mortgage, car or personal loan interest rates are more like 14% from memory, limiting worthwhile expenditure to $18,000-odd, but more of a problem of nothing to secure it against.
I'm no expert in financing - is my maths right? Is financing a car conversion a barrier? If so, what suggested solutions do we have?
Best regards
Richard
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From EVAlbum.com for New Zealand:
1988 Mazda B1600 Ute - $13,000 est
2000 Toyota Vitz - $13,000 plus $6000 for car
1990 Toyota Starlet - $11,000 including car at $2100
1986 Subaru Domingo van - $10,000
1971 Volkswagen Beetle - US$11,500
1995 Toyota Celica - not stated
1991 Toyota MR2 - US$10,000
1987 Mitsubishi Tredia - US$9000
2005 Suzuki Swift-E - $25,000
1995 Holden Calibra - <$25,000 est including car
1993 Toyota Corolla - $25,000
1992 Honda Civic - $25,000
1993 Ford Festiva - not stated
1974 Vauxhall Viva - $2000
1991 Honda Civic - $16,780
1987 Suzuki Alto - $12,500
1973 Citoen Dyane - $25,000
1993 Ford Courier - $16,600
2005 Toyota RAV4 - $70,000
1998 Mercedes Benz A160 - $45,000 est
1996 Subaru Legacy - <$20,000 est
1995 BMW 328i/4 SE - $7000 plus $4020 for car
1983 Mazda 323 - not stated
1937 Austin 8 - not stated
1963 Morris Mini - not stated
We have so many cheap Japanese cars in New Zealand and are unlikely to see secondhand imports of electric cars for many years. So what are the major barriers to a leap in home EV conversions in NZ?
My guess is that the overlap between those that want to do it and those with the money to fund the entire job is quite low.
I just went through evalbum.com and noted down the stated price of most of the New Zealand cars (listed down below). Naturally there is a range and the major factor would be battery choice. I gather that AC vs DC doesn't make much difference to motor/controller price these days. Naturally, as this is about doing the conversion yourself, you are avoiding that part of the cost of conversion.
For those living in suburbs and driving to work each day I am looking at the data and thinking $20,000 may need to be budgeted on conversion to get a reliable vehicle capable of going the distance. The raw cost savings of using electricity over petrol might conservatively be over $50 a week. So just from looking at that one major cost saving, it would make it worth putting up to $43,000 on an existing 6% mortgage. Without access to a convenient mortgage, car or personal loan interest rates are more like 14% from memory, limiting worthwhile expenditure to $18,000-odd, but more of a problem of nothing to secure it against.
I'm no expert in financing - is my maths right? Is financing a car conversion a barrier? If so, what suggested solutions do we have?
Best regards
Richard
----------
From EVAlbum.com for New Zealand:
1988 Mazda B1600 Ute - $13,000 est
2000 Toyota Vitz - $13,000 plus $6000 for car
1990 Toyota Starlet - $11,000 including car at $2100
1986 Subaru Domingo van - $10,000
1971 Volkswagen Beetle - US$11,500
1995 Toyota Celica - not stated
1991 Toyota MR2 - US$10,000
1987 Mitsubishi Tredia - US$9000
2005 Suzuki Swift-E - $25,000
1995 Holden Calibra - <$25,000 est including car
1993 Toyota Corolla - $25,000
1992 Honda Civic - $25,000
1993 Ford Festiva - not stated
1974 Vauxhall Viva - $2000
1991 Honda Civic - $16,780
1987 Suzuki Alto - $12,500
1973 Citoen Dyane - $25,000
1993 Ford Courier - $16,600
2005 Toyota RAV4 - $70,000
1998 Mercedes Benz A160 - $45,000 est
1996 Subaru Legacy - <$20,000 est
1995 BMW 328i/4 SE - $7000 plus $4020 for car
1983 Mazda 323 - not stated
1937 Austin 8 - not stated
1963 Morris Mini - not stated