What is an EV or BEV? Electric vehicles or battery electric vehicles explained
The most obvious of all the electric vehicles and one that does what it says on the box: drives using only electricity. Battery packs are charged via a powerpoint or dedicated charging station and send power to electric motors to drive the vehicle. EVs – also known as BEVs, or battery electric vehicles – usually have a driving range of between 150km and 500km.
READ MORE: What is a hybrid vehicle (or HEV)?
READ MORE: What is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)?
READ MORE: What is a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV)?
Pros: Zero CO2 emissions from the vehicle, performance, refinement
Cons: Expensive, can take a long time to charge
Ideal for: A second car or people who drive less than a couple of hundred kilometres a day
Examples: Nissan Leaf, all Teslas, Hyundai Ioniq Electric
Considering Australia is largely dependent on imported oil, now seems a good time to replace my 2017 Kona (62,000 km) (1,6l turbo, all-wheel drive available.)
I drive infrequently at present but my joy is long distance travel. To date, I’ve not driven to the NT or WA. In fact, I’m likely to limit my drives to the eastern half of the continent. I anticipate not driving further west than Burke or Winton.
My request of you is whether an electric or hybrid car would be most practical for my circumstance.
Local drives are rarely more than three per week, more frequently none or one or two, and below 8 km. These are interspersed with 80 to 160 kms trips, about every third or fourth week.
I am retired and unlikely to be involved in travel that involves deadlines, thus, as long as recharging is available, I don’t expect to feel desperate to gain access to recharging within in a particular timeframe.
I enjoy listening to your ABC radio sessions (?) and hope this enquiry will be responded to, however briefly,
With kind regards,
Kath
P.S., I have developed an attachment to Hyundai, having had a Sonata for 16 years, an Elantra and the current Kona.