http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/73328771/meet-sparky--the-first-of-many-electric-cars-in-invercargill Meet 'Sparky' - the first of many electric cars in Invercargill? video BEN MACK October 23 2015
[images / JOHN HAWKINS/Fairfax NZ http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/7/o/1/8/c/image.imgtype.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.png/1445573841927.jpg video flash ] Venture Southland business project co-ordinator Rachel Butler says her organisation often uses a Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car dubbed "Sparky" to travel to meetings in Invercargill. Electric cars have come to the streets of Invercargill, amid a nationwide push to switch over from fossil fuels. Unlike most 15-month-olds, Sparky is incredibly quiet. Then again, Sparky isn't human - he's Venture Southland's Mitsubishi i-MiEV, an acronym for "Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle." Venture Southland enterprise project manager Robin McNeill said his organisation bought Sparky secondhand in July 2014 for just under $30,000 from Mitsubishi. "It's very zippy. It's a fantastic town car." Sparky - named through a poll - has a range of about 100km on a single charge, a process which takes 6 to8 hours if the battery is empty. Charging is as simple as plugging into a power outlet. According to Venture Southland, running Sparky cost about $362 for every 10,000km travelled. A petrol vehicle would cost $1758. McNeill said the savings were substantial, but the limited range meant Sparky usually stayed in Invercargill. "They (electric vehicles) just don't have the range yet for rural driving. We're a predominantly rural area. "If you wanted to go to Te Anau [in an electric vehicle], you'd have to make a few stops along the way." McNeill estimated it would be about 10 years before significant numbers of electric vehicles or hybrids might be seen on Southland roads, as the technology still needed to improve. There were no current plans to buy another electric car, he said. "One's probably enough at the moment, just because of the range problems." PowerNet had one electric car in Invercargill, said general manager of business support Tim Brown. The vehicle, a Nissan Leaf, was purchased in July. The company would consider buying more, he said "We do see a future in them, especially in urban transport." PowerNet chief executive Jason Franklin said there was a "great opportunity" for the New Zealand economy to transition from vehicles that used fossil fuels to electric. "The transition will mean increased utilisation of the local electricity networks," he said. Other also stressed their desire to switch to electric. The Electricity Networks Association - which represents 29 power distribution companies - planned a 'renewables highway' of vehicle charging stations nationwide, while in September Air New Zealand expressed its wish to transition its fleet of road vehicles and ground equipment to electric where it was possible as part of its Sustainability Framework. The Government has also said said it hoped to release a package of measures encouraging increased electric vehicle use by the end of the year, and had launched an online tool to allow people to compare the costs of purchasing and running different vehicles. At the moment, the Nissan Leaf is the only purely electric vehicle available in New Zealand for the general public to purchase. About 80 per cent of New Zealand's energy comes from renewable sources. [© stuff.co.nz] http://www.voxy.co.nz/business/nzs-first-chargenet-fast-charging-station-kaiwaka/5/235307 NZ's first Charge.net.nz fast charging station in Kaiwaka 23 October, 2015 Proud local couple Greg and Paula Jaques are making history this week by Leading The Charge in the Electric Vehicle (EV) community ... For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Sparky-the-i-MiEV-EV-travels-to-meetings-in-Invercargill-nz-v-tp4678396.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
