Australians are increasingly turning to electric cars.
Nearly one in every two new vehicles sold during the June quarter alone was either electric or hybrid — making it our biggest-ever quarterly surge in electric vehicle sales.
There's a V2G trial that is going on at the moment, and there are standards being put into place, in support of V2H, V2B, and V2G (https://arena.gov.au/blog/arena-wire-new-roadmap-evs-australia/)
I'm wondering if current or prospective EV owners are thinking about their car as a home battery? I am. Yet I don't see a rush of EV brands adopting the standard (BYD is with ARENA, and BYD, Hyundai, Kia and Zeekr are too, with AGL https://next.agl.com.au/agl-v2g-trial). There looks to be little movement towards adopting the standards by solar inverter / charger brands, too.
Is there market demand?
| Variant | Price (before ORC) | Power | WLTP range | DC charging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 e-tron 150kW SUV | $71,650 | 150kW RWD | TBC | 160kW |
| Q4 e-tron 150kW Sportback | $71,650 | 150kW RWD | TBC | 160kW |
| Q4 e-tron quattro SUV | $81,650 | 250kW AWD | 494km | 185kW |
| Q4 e-tron quattro Sportback | $83,250 | 250kW AWD | 509km | 185kW |
The outgoing Q4 45 e-tron started at $84,900 and the Q4 55 quattro at $105,900, so this is a meaningful price cut across the board. The quattro gets a reworked interior with Audi's new "digital stage" layout, an optional 12-inch passenger-side screen (a segment first), and DC charging lifting from 175kW to 185kW. Both body styles arrive in Australia in the first half of 2027. Q
How will this compete against the BMW Neue Klasse iX3, Tesla Model Y and Zeekr 7x?
Hi folks, my old Holden has finally croaked its last so it's time for me to upgrade. At the moment the Ora 5 is sitting the top of the short list (we actually have a dealership in our rural town, most other affordable EV dealerships are 2- 4 hours away). However I've heard a few people comment on the small boot size, and as hopefully kids are in our not-too-distant future I wanted to hear if anyone has managed to navigate the Ora 5 with a pram?
Max budget $45,000 although ideally less than $40,000. Average weekly km would be under 200km, however every month or so we drive 320km direct. Will be installing charging at home. Not fussed on vehicle class although it seems most family cars these days are SUVs. Due to how rural we are would at most be looking at dealerships 2hrs away for accessibility/servicing, so unfortunately a few brands are not accessible in that regard.
Hi, really looking for some real life experience - we are about to pull the trigger on an EV under novated lease. It will replace our 10 year old Hyundai Santa Fe used mainly for around town, school drop off, soccer, occasional short trips out of town and back. For bigger trips we have the Dmax. In North Queensland, so expecting lower efficiency of the batteries on the hot weather on the highway.
Family of 5 - we aren’t big people, kids are currently 10, 12, 14 and are expected to grow a lot over the next 5 years.
We have test driven the SL7 Premium and Kia EV5 Air LR, there are pros and cons to both and am leaning towards the SL7, pros: more back seat room, slightly better efficiency, faster DC charging and drives a bit nicer (assuming due to the RWD vs FWD?). However, I’m concerned we may be limited by the payload of just 410kg vs EV5 435kg and less boot space and frunk storage - total 558L vs 580L of the EV5.
Nor keen on Tesla Y, don’t like the look of the Geeley and the EV9 os out of out budget.
Just looking for advice if anyone with a family of 5 has any experience to share, cheers.
Amber has launched its "Amber for EVs" service with MG, XPeng and Audi alongside existing Tesla support. It uses five-minute wholesale spot prices and CSIRO-developed forecasting to schedule charging up to 24 hours ahead, with three control modes: charge by a deadline, charge on a fixed schedule, or charge only when the price drops below a threshold you set. Wholesale prices can go negative, meaning Amber pays you to charge.
One limitation worth knowing: MG, XPeng and Audi can only be told to start or stop charging, not to vary speed. Tesla owners get full speed control, including the ability to throttle charging in real time to match rooftop solar output.
This also not the same as Amber's V2G trial. Amber for EVs is one-way smart charging only. The V2G trial (BYD Atto 3 only, currently 50 vehicles with a 4,000-person waitlist) allows the car to send power back to the home or grid.
Does anybody here use the Amber for EVs service? How has your experience been so far?
I got a Yaris Cross Hybrid AWD mid 2023 (have 45k kms on it). Seeing them listed for above 30k on Carsales has been making me question if I should sell this privately and go for a sub 35k EV.
So far these are my top 3:
Everyone I have spoken with seems to think this is a dumb idea to let go of a known reliable fuel efficient car that will run flawlessly until at least 200k kms (another 10 years as I drive 15k a year atm).
My main issue with the Yaris is to have to max the engine when overtaking someone above 100k km/h yet still failing if there is a slight incline.
Usually I drive 60kms for work daily. Have 1-2 days of work from home every week. Once a fortnight I drive 300 round trip kms for a meeting (may need a top up charge for this, could use a coffee tbh).
Would you do this. I dont expect to get 30k for the Toyota. Got 25k instant offer from Carsales, makes me think I can get at least 28k privately.
If you would do this. Which out of the 3 I have shortlisted makes the most sense?
Should a p-plate like my self get a car with a v8 engine? i was thinking about the lexus ls460
I’m doing research for my first EV - a small hatchback
I’ve now come across the whole LFP vs NMC battery argument. I do not care so much about lifetime battery degradation but rather the practical range being offered by each type of battery.
If a NMC battery car let’s say has a WLTP range of 360km - that means if you charge it to 80% as best practice advises, your “real” WLTP range is 288km?
Whereas for a LFP battery car, the WLTP range can be taken at face value because you can charge it to 100%?
What's the future for the network?
*The jolt 50kw charger is also not 920v.
Hi friends!
After an earlier post a few people asked for a breakdown on a minor road trip I was taking down to the Mornington Peninsula from where I live in Truganina to get an idea of the J5's performance and range and battery and here it is!
We left on Friday morning and returned home on Monday, so 4 days away total.
For the most part I was running the vehicle in Eco driving mode which mostly reduces the tunes the acceleration aggressiveness. If you're used to a non-turbo ICE car then Eco will be a very normal feeling driving mode with Normal and Sport having a lot more go when pushing the pedal.
The main leg of the trip from Truganina to Dromana for lunch before heading to Alba Hot springs was done with the boot fully loaded and 2 adults in the car, rest of the journey typically had 5 people in it. I wasn't being particular economical with accessories usage; climate control and music pumping during the ride.
| Location | Charge | Estimated Range | ODO | Distance since Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truganina | 100% | 431 | 899 | NA |
| Dromana | 70% | 293 | 998 | 99 |
| Rye | 62% | 263 | 1019 | 120.0 |
| Yal Yal Estate | 27% | 115 | 1124 | 225 |
| Charged in Rye | 72% | |||
| Truganina | 25% | NA | 1333 | 170 |
We primarily used the Jaecoo for driving around the area on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday
Sunday evening after doing some winery hopping we took it for a charge at the Rye RSL, not an ideal charger but we had a drink and something to snack on while I got 15.361kWh in 42 minutes costing $6.14
The next morning I topped it up a bit further to which I think was 72% (I forgot to take a photo) at a BP Pulse in Rye while we got breakfast. 25.85kWh in 33 minutes costing $17.84
From there we took the scenic routes home via Mornington proper and Frankston, then onto East Link and the Monash, dropping a mate off home in Brunswick East and taking the Ring Road back around to Truganina.
We got home with 25% remaining and I connected it to the Solar as we were having a lovely sunny afternoon.
So 4 days, only charged the 2 times (not realising the RSL charger was such an average charger). The Airbnb we were in didn't have anyway to use a trickle charger so these were the only times I charged.
All in all, we didn't get anywhere near the estimated range, but we weren't particularly economical with usage. It was cold and windy too. Never really felt any anxiety with it, plenty of charge locations around if I needed it and didn't
Car fit 5 dudes comfortably for cruising around the area.
I was super impressed by the hills giving it absolutely no trouble, zoomed up the steep grades of the area and was fun to drive around the winding roads of the wineries.
Enjoy some photos and feel free to ask questions
Hi r/AustralianEV!
I’m John Ricca from Jaric Air Conditioning and Electrical, a licensed electrical and air conditioning company based in South East Queensland. We install home EV chargers and help customers work out what their car, home and switchboard actually need before they buy.
We’re hosting an AMA on Tuesday 18 August at 10:30am AEST, where I’ll be here to answer your questions about:
We’re happy to answer both basic and technical questions — from “do I really need a wall charger?” through to switchboard capacity, solar charging, tariffs and QLD installation requirements.
This isn’t a sales pitch. We’re here to share practical electrical advice and help clear up some of the confusion around home EV charging. For anything specific to your own property, a licensed electrician would still need to inspect it properly.
Drop your questions below ahead of time and we’ll start answering them when the AMA begins at 10:30am.
Looking forward to chatting with you all.
Most talk around here has been about SUVs and practicality (boot space for the pram, etc.) while still sticking to a tight budget - that's boring.
If you were in your mid-20's again with $90k and want to drive an EV that looks/feels/is shaped like a sports car with a lot of power and fast 0-100km to impress your mates, what's your best pick?
I’ve been getting quotes from a few different insurers and the difference is crazy.
For me:
- BYD Sealion 7 Performance: around $120/month
- Tesla Model Y RWD: around $320/month, even with a high excess
I’m 35M, no accidents and no previous claims.
I don’t think it’s just because of performance either, because the Sealion 7 Performance is much more powerful than the Model Y RWD, but it’s still way cheaper to insure. Budget Direct quoted me around $120/month for the Sealion 7 Performance, while the Model Y RWD was around $320/month
Does anyone know why Teslas are so much more expensive to insure in Australia?
I really love the Model Y Long Range AWD, but at these insurance prices, it removes almost all the savings you get from driving electric.
I’m 35M and looking at buying a Tesla Model Y Premium AWD Long Range, but the insurance prices are crazy.
I’ve never made an insurance claim and I’ve had comprehensive insurance on my current car for about 10 years.
I live in Kalkallo, VIC 3064.
The cheapest quote I’ve found so far is Budget Direct at around $344 per month, with an excess of about $1,800.
That’s over $4,000 a year just for insurance.
Is this normal for a Tesla Model Y? Why is it so expensive? Anyone around Melbourne/Kalkallo getting a better price? Which insurer are you with?