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Electric Cars
Donnellans has seen the number of electric vehicles grow considerably over the past 5 years, with a jump in vehicle range and shorter charge times. More and more manufacturers are joining in with new hybrids and fully electric vehicles hitting the road each year.
When it comes to intelligent tyres and the digital age, Pirelli are leading the way with the development of their Connesso Digital tyre. Live data can be sent via wireless transmitters to the driver in real-time.
Informing the driver of tyre inflation across all 4 tyres, tyre condition including depth and wear. Other forms of tyre data include: tyre life remaining, load rating and tyre temperature.
EV’s are not a new concept by any means and the history of the electric car dates back to the 1800’s. It wasn’t until the 1980’s when the technology was commercialised by Toyota. General Electric failed to find any interest in the American car market but Toyota quickly built upon the design and developed the Toyota Prius.
The benefits of electric vehicles start with the back pocket. Its estimated to be 1/3 of the cost to run, is environmentally friendly and contains eco-friendly materials. States like California which is confirmed to be producing 29% electricity through renewable energy and has just passed a bill to be 100% renewable by 2045, have one of the highest outputs of emissions caused by combustion engine vehicles.
The range of electric vehicles include Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV’s). The range of these vehicles has increased as manufacturers release new vehicles each year. The new Tesla and Jaguar I-Pace can reach a distance of 500km while other models like the Nissan Leaf has a range of 300km which is perfect if you are averaging 30km – 70km hours a day.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles or (PHEV’s) are a combination of electric and fuel. Once your electric charge is down the combustion engine kicks in. Perfect for long distance hauls or hill climbs and heavy payloads.
With plans for an EV highway across the country, we’ll start to see more and more charging stations between popular routes on our East and west coast. Melbourne to Brisbane will be one of the first with Tesla working with the Australian Government to ensure a safe and fully charged driving experience between the two capital cities.
Manufactures are working closely with scientists and tech companies on new and improved battery life and charge times. BMW is in the concept stages of a new Solid-State Battery which the company believes will give 2.5 times longer run time to the lithium-ion batteries that are common throughout the Electric Vehicle range.
Australia though is extremely behind in the race to lower carbon emissions caused by the number of cars on our roads with New Zealand having more electric vehicles to date.
With little to no incentives for consumers to buy electric in Australia, manufacturers have been reluctant to bring the new technologies to the country. This is slowly changing with luxury car tax drops in Victoria and a reduced stamp juty in the ACT making it more appealing for consumers to go electric but this is only just the beginning.
Donnellans tyre experts are ready to assist you with all your tyre needs on electric vehicles. Drop into one of our 5 convenient locations across Melbourne or call a store today.
