April 4, 2025 • 9 mins
There’s been a fair few changes in the electric vehicle market in the past few years, but when it comes to actually using one, how do they fare?
Kate Hall has just finished up a two month trip around New Zealand – driven entirely in an electric car.
She joined Jack Tame to recap the experience, and answer a few questions about the logistics of the trip.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks a B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Right now, our sustainability commentator Kate Hall aka Ethically Kate
is with us this morning. Killeder, what I love that story. Thanks? Wow, Yeah,
I like half of it all ahead of you exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I feel more prepared.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, what I have. What I have not mentioned is
that I actually took photographic evidence of both elements, both
parts of that story. But you know, I've been going
into the air brakes and showing Libby, my producer, the
photographic evidence because I feel like when I say he
managed to propel you know what across like a meter
of open territory and on the walls that people think
(00:52):
I'm exaggerating. I am not exaggerating. I am being one literal. Anyway,
you might have to send me the pick. I don't know.
You gotta be careful what you wish for, but like
I say, the smile and just you know, oh my gosh,
just everything out's away. It's amazing. Anyway, you have been
over the last couple of months traveling around the country
in an EV so just I want to hear how
(01:16):
it's been. I want to hear the ups and the downs.
I want you to be totally honest about the limitations
of Tuesday and EV for a nationwide trip. But just
recap us. How how far have you traveled? Where have
you been?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
So we started in Auckland on the fifth of February
and we traveled through Hamilton, Todonga, Topaur, down to Wellington, Nelson,
along the West coast in Graymouth, through to christ Church,
then Queenstown, Dunedin, up past back through christ Church, picked
(01:51):
in Wellington, Napier and back home.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
It's not a big So that's our trip. Ye what
to me were you in?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
So for the first six weeks we were in an
ID five so Volkswag can lend us at EV's to
travel for our tours, which are very grateful for and
so yeah, there was a ID five, which is kind
of a classic, kind of more sporty car. And then
for the last few weeks we were in the ID Buzz,
which is kind of brand new to New Zealand and
(02:24):
very you know, inspired by the comb So that was
that was pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Cool Okay, then, so I mean the number one criticism,
you know, the number one concern that I suppose people
raised when it comes to long long trips in an
EV is that you can't do it because you know,
you run out of you run out of range, and
you run out a battery. What was your experience with
the charging network as it stands? Can you do a
long trip in an EV?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
One hundred percent? You can? So this seemed honestly, it
seemed easy to me this year because you know, in
twenty twenty five, charge net has so many more different
charging stations across the country that you know they're establishing
new ones all the time. I did a similar route
in twenty twenty in a vehicle with a range of
about two hundred and twenty kilometers for six weeks, so
(03:13):
you know that's five years ago, and that you know, like, honestly,
there was a few different moments of range anxiety and
when you're when you're trying to like enjoy your holiday,
you know, I understand that, I understand people's hesitations. However,
I think we probably waited because that's also an element too,
is if someone's just arrived and they've started to charge
(03:33):
their car just before you, and you're factored in, you know,
in half an hour to top up your car, but
someone just arrived so that half an hour is going
to turn into an hour. Then I understand that that's frustrating,
but that only happened to us like.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Once two months and so pretty good.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah, exactly, So we just rock up and like we
were hardly waiting it all. It meant that we were
stopping at where the charges were rather than kind of
the main spots that you'd stop when you're traveling around.
So you get to see like cool new places and
really kind of yeah, quick little towns, a little like
local museums. I honestly think that, yeah, it added more
(04:13):
to the trip, and it kind of also feels like
it encourages you to kind of slow down, really enjoy
New Zealand and not just have that eas of just
stop into a petrol station and then continue on. You know,
you're forced to kind of it more slowly.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I think that I think there are a couple of
things I've observed not having done big road trips with
an EV. But so first of all, there are kind
of two types of evs now right, So you have
the ones that are designed for everyday commuting, so they
are only a massive range. They've only got maximum a
couple of hundred kilometers maybe, but they're designed to be
driven every day and driven in cities. And then you
(04:49):
have evs that have the longer range and more appropriate
for the kind of adventure you've been on. And when
you're driving one of those cars, you really want to
be in a position whereby your trip is not being
dictated by the absolute location of the charging stages. Right,
So you want to be like, we're going here, here, here,
and we'll come across some charging stations on the way,
(05:09):
as opposed to being like, right, we're going to go
from this charging station and then we're gonna skip the
charging station. And this I always think about, you know,
like the first aviators who you know, like flew across
the world or flew across the United States and had
to make sixty stops and that kind of thing, and
how you know, they could fly twenty kilometers and then
they needed to find somewhere else to land. It's sort
of steams comparable. But I suppose, like you say, with
(05:30):
the with the propensity of charging stations as they are now,
you don't need to kind of worry about that, you know,
as you did in the past, which is great. No, So,
how much did it cost you.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So I've been trying to add it up and I
don't know how exact kilometer and just you know kilometers,
how many we covered. That would have been clear of
me to click that on the car at the side
of the trip. Anyway, it cost around eight hundred and
fourteen dollars and that's charging at the fast charges, so
you can, you know, check upon your car overnight and yeah,
(06:06):
you know, do a slow trickle. So that's like the
that's the most you're ever going to spend on charging
because you're at these super fast charges that you're only
stopping for. I think the max that we stopped at
was like forty five minutes.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, So did I reckon charges? Was that an issue?
Speaker 3 (06:23):
There was one place that had actually in Topau at
one point there were four charges there and like a
few of them were busy and one of them was
was faulty. And so but in that moment like it
because there was multiple charges there, that was fine because
it just meant there was less capacity for people to
(06:45):
charge often there. And and like you said, it's if
you're passing through and you plan to stop at a
charger and it's full or it's faulty, you can just
go on to the next one because it's not too
far away. Yeah, so we were never kind of caught
out or yeah, kind of frustrated by it.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
And how do you feel about the batteries in the
battery debate and what happens to old batteries.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, so, I mean there's a lot of complications with
the mining of them and you know, supply chain and
where they're from, and we don't have that right. There's
totally some unethical and unstandable things that that we need
to figure out and we need to keep developing. But
with the battery, if the battery is no longer suitable
for a car, you know, especially with some of the
old leafs and older vehicles. Now, the batteries, you know,
(07:31):
they may have a range of seventy kilometers which can
get you caught out. Those can actually be used as
generators so like on farms, or battery backups for homes
and different things. So if they're not suitable for a car,
they're still suitable suitable for a lot of other different uses.
And there's different programs now where the batteries are able
to be picked apart and the different minerals and yeah,
(07:55):
elements of them are able to be taken apart, stripped
away from each other and used for other means and
purpose recycles. Yeah, so it's kind of I think when
you're driving into ev i've, you know, I feel like
you're kind of open for that critique and criticism because
(08:16):
you know, there's a lot of complications around EV's. They're
not like the be all into all, like most sustainable
way to travel, Like we are still developing them, we're
still changing things. But I think like the fact that
we are, you know, we've come so far with our
charging stations, with what EV's can do, with companies being
more aware of the ethical and sustainable side of things,
(08:38):
Like we're learning and we're evolving, and it's really cool
to see that we're not you know, we're not just
like cool, this is our new sustainable mode of transport.
That we're still developing the technology and it's important to
have these conversations.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
So good. Hey, thanks Kay. You can find Kate of
course by sitching on the social media platforms use nine
as ethically Kate. We'll put all those little notes up
on the news talks you'd b website
Speaker 1 (09:00):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame listen live
to news talks it'd be from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks a B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Right now, our sustainability commentator Kate Hall aka Ethically Kate
is with us this morning. Killeder, what I love that story. Thanks? Wow, Yeah,
I like half of it all ahead of you exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I feel more prepared.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, what I have. What I have not mentioned is
that I actually took photographic evidence of both elements, both
parts of that story. But you know, I've been going
into the air brakes and showing Libby, my producer, the
photographic evidence because I feel like when I say he
managed to propel you know what across like a meter
of open territory and on the walls that people think
(00:52):
I'm exaggerating. I am not exaggerating. I am being one literal. Anyway,
you might have to send me the pick. I don't know.
You gotta be careful what you wish for, but like
I say, the smile and just you know, oh my gosh,
just everything out's away. It's amazing. Anyway, you have been
over the last couple of months traveling around the country
in an EV so just I want to hear how
(01:16):
it's been. I want to hear the ups and the downs.
I want you to be totally honest about the limitations
of Tuesday and EV for a nationwide trip. But just
recap us. How how far have you traveled? Where have
you been?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
So we started in Auckland on the fifth of February
and we traveled through Hamilton, Todonga, Topaur, down to Wellington, Nelson,
along the West coast in Graymouth, through to christ Church,
then Queenstown, Dunedin, up past back through christ Church, picked
(01:51):
in Wellington, Napier and back home.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
It's not a big So that's our trip. Ye what
to me were you in?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
So for the first six weeks we were in an
ID five so Volkswag can lend us at EV's to
travel for our tours, which are very grateful for and
so yeah, there was a ID five, which is kind
of a classic, kind of more sporty car. And then
for the last few weeks we were in the ID Buzz,
which is kind of brand new to New Zealand and
(02:24):
very you know, inspired by the comb So that was
that was pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Cool Okay, then, so I mean the number one criticism,
you know, the number one concern that I suppose people
raised when it comes to long long trips in an
EV is that you can't do it because you know,
you run out of you run out of range, and
you run out a battery. What was your experience with
the charging network as it stands? Can you do a
long trip in an EV?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
One hundred percent? You can? So this seemed honestly, it
seemed easy to me this year because you know, in
twenty twenty five, charge net has so many more different
charging stations across the country that you know they're establishing
new ones all the time. I did a similar route
in twenty twenty in a vehicle with a range of
about two hundred and twenty kilometers for six weeks, so
(03:13):
you know that's five years ago, and that you know, like, honestly,
there was a few different moments of range anxiety and
when you're when you're trying to like enjoy your holiday,
you know, I understand that, I understand people's hesitations. However,
I think we probably waited because that's also an element too,
is if someone's just arrived and they've started to charge
(03:33):
their car just before you, and you're factored in, you know,
in half an hour to top up your car, but
someone just arrived so that half an hour is going
to turn into an hour. Then I understand that that's frustrating,
but that only happened to us like.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Once two months and so pretty good.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah, exactly, So we just rock up and like we
were hardly waiting it all. It meant that we were
stopping at where the charges were rather than kind of
the main spots that you'd stop when you're traveling around.
So you get to see like cool new places and
really kind of yeah, quick little towns, a little like
local museums. I honestly think that, yeah, it added more
(04:13):
to the trip, and it kind of also feels like
it encourages you to kind of slow down, really enjoy
New Zealand and not just have that eas of just
stop into a petrol station and then continue on. You know,
you're forced to kind of it more slowly.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I think that I think there are a couple of
things I've observed not having done big road trips with
an EV. But so first of all, there are kind
of two types of evs now right, So you have
the ones that are designed for everyday commuting, so they
are only a massive range. They've only got maximum a
couple of hundred kilometers maybe, but they're designed to be
driven every day and driven in cities. And then you
(04:49):
have evs that have the longer range and more appropriate
for the kind of adventure you've been on. And when
you're driving one of those cars, you really want to
be in a position whereby your trip is not being
dictated by the absolute location of the charging stages. Right,
So you want to be like, we're going here, here, here,
and we'll come across some charging stations on the way,
(05:09):
as opposed to being like, right, we're going to go
from this charging station and then we're gonna skip the
charging station. And this I always think about, you know,
like the first aviators who you know, like flew across
the world or flew across the United States and had
to make sixty stops and that kind of thing, and
how you know, they could fly twenty kilometers and then
they needed to find somewhere else to land. It's sort
of steams comparable. But I suppose, like you say, with
(05:30):
the with the propensity of charging stations as they are now,
you don't need to kind of worry about that, you know,
as you did in the past, which is great. No, So,
how much did it cost you.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So I've been trying to add it up and I
don't know how exact kilometer and just you know kilometers,
how many we covered. That would have been clear of
me to click that on the car at the side
of the trip. Anyway, it cost around eight hundred and
fourteen dollars and that's charging at the fast charges, so
you can, you know, check upon your car overnight and yeah,
(06:06):
you know, do a slow trickle. So that's like the
that's the most you're ever going to spend on charging
because you're at these super fast charges that you're only
stopping for. I think the max that we stopped at
was like forty five minutes.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, So did I reckon charges? Was that an issue?
Speaker 3 (06:23):
There was one place that had actually in Topau at
one point there were four charges there and like a
few of them were busy and one of them was
was faulty. And so but in that moment like it
because there was multiple charges there, that was fine because
it just meant there was less capacity for people to
(06:45):
charge often there. And and like you said, it's if
you're passing through and you plan to stop at a
charger and it's full or it's faulty, you can just
go on to the next one because it's not too
far away. Yeah, so we were never kind of caught
out or yeah, kind of frustrated by it.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
And how do you feel about the batteries in the
battery debate and what happens to old batteries.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, so, I mean there's a lot of complications with
the mining of them and you know, supply chain and
where they're from, and we don't have that right. There's
totally some unethical and unstandable things that that we need
to figure out and we need to keep developing. But
with the battery, if the battery is no longer suitable
for a car, you know, especially with some of the
old leafs and older vehicles. Now, the batteries, you know,
(07:31):
they may have a range of seventy kilometers which can
get you caught out. Those can actually be used as
generators so like on farms, or battery backups for homes
and different things. So if they're not suitable for a car,
they're still suitable suitable for a lot of other different uses.
And there's different programs now where the batteries are able
to be picked apart and the different minerals and yeah,
(07:55):
elements of them are able to be taken apart, stripped
away from each other and used for other means and
purpose recycles. Yeah, so it's kind of I think when
you're driving into ev i've, you know, I feel like
you're kind of open for that critique and criticism because
(08:16):
you know, there's a lot of complications around EV's. They're
not like the be all into all, like most sustainable
way to travel, Like we are still developing them, we're
still changing things. But I think like the fact that
we are, you know, we've come so far with our
charging stations, with what EV's can do, with companies being
more aware of the ethical and sustainable side of things,
(08:38):
Like we're learning and we're evolving, and it's really cool
to see that we're not you know, we're not just
like cool, this is our new sustainable mode of transport.
That we're still developing the technology and it's important to
have these conversations.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
So good. Hey, thanks Kay. You can find Kate of
course by sitching on the social media platforms use nine
as ethically Kate. We'll put all those little notes up
on the news talks you'd b website
Speaker 1 (09:00):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame listen live
to news talks it'd be from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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