Booked a test drive for the BYD Seal on their website and it turns out they don't actually keep stock of the Seal at all. No even for demo. If I wanted to test drive a Seal I'd have to put down a $500 deposit and have them ship one in. And in the $50k and $60k price brackets there are like 3 sedans in total to choose from (if you don't want a Tesla): Dongfeng 007, the Seal and the Kia EV4. Apparently no one wants to buy sedans unless it's a Model 3. I don't care how hard car makers try to railroad me, I ain't buying a goddamn crossover.

Pricing is to be announced later this month. However, I expect it to be around $90k based on Australian pricing.

The Hilux BEV is powered by a 52.2kWh battery, with up to 315km of NEDC range. 

It will be offered in SR and SR5 grades.

The NEDC range of the cab chassis model is 245km.

The Hilux BEV can tow 2000kg braked.

150 kW DC (10-80% in 30 min)

10 kW AC

So, do you think this is going to sell at all?

Tradie here, looking of anyone has some real world experience with long term towing on the byd ute.

Regularly travel in excess of 300km per day up and down country (work in a dairy support industry) Im getting a bit sick of my van enough to pull the plug on it. Will be towing roughly 1t plus the trailer every 2-3 days, sometimes daily.

Will wait for the 2L obviously as large engine should theoretically down to full consumption down when towing and extra capacity (3.5t vs 2.5t) is always good.

As an aside, I do realise my fuel bill will be greater than my existing van but Im starting to dislike the constant chemicals Im breathing daily.

BYD New Zealand has secured 600 Atto 3 SUVs from BYD’s Thai production line, priced at $49,990 in what is expected to be the final allocation of the current model. That represents a $6000 discount on the current 60kWh model.

The Thai-built cars are spec’d as the Superior model with the 60.48 kWh Blade Battery, 150kW motor and a full feature set including a panoramic sunroof, the 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, and seven airbags. BYD NZ country manager Warren Willmot says the spec is identical to the current model, with only very minor interior trim differences.

...

Two shipments are on the water now, with the first arriving on May 14 and a second due at the end of the month.

Full article is linked.

Gidday r/newzealand

I run a cherry orchard in Central Otago. A few years ago I ripped out every fossil fuel machine on the farm (diesel tractors, diesel frost fighting fans, petrol vehicles) and replaced everything with electric equivalents powered by solar or our grid. The farm now runs without any fossil fuels and we're saving tens of thousands a year. Getting off imported fuels onto NZ made electricity is better for the planet, better for energy sovereignty & resilience, and it’s also genuinely the cheapest way to power your home and business right now.

I’m also CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, an independent charity that exists to bring electrification to everyone in New Zealand. We have a team of energy, policy, and community outreach experts working to make this affordable for all.

I know the fuel crisis, rising power bills, climate change, and cost of living are big on people’s minds right now. I’ve been interviewed a lot about these topics, like on Q+A recently with Jack Tame. I heard it’s a hot topic on r/nz as well so I’m here to answer your questions as best I can.

Proof:

https://preview.redd.it/imfzxpkbrwyg1.jpg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55c891630313b51b428b9a75872b2135733d70b1

I'll be live on Wednesday 6 May from 7–9pm (not the 5th like the picture says!) to answer anything:

• When is solar worth it?
• Is there an end to the fuel crisis in sight?
• What's the fastest way to cut your power bill?
• How much can you actually save with an EV?
• What do the energy companies not want you to know?
• Upfront costs, finance, renters, older homes

Drop your questions now if you want them in the queue before Wednesday.

Rewiring is also going on tour across Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and Hamilton where we’ll give a presentation and you can ask questions in person.

Mike

Hi All,

I went and test drove the FWD model of the new BZ4X over the weekend. It seems like a pretty decent value proposition, which is quite surprising to say for a Toyota product.

My only concern was around the drivers seat, positioning and general comfort. I'm about 5'11 (181 cm), medium build, and noticed a few issues:

1. The upper section of the seat and headrest felt quite far back from my shoulders/head. It felt like there was very little support and after an hour and a half of test driving, my neck was noticeably sore. I made a lot of adjustments and couldn't resolve this.
2. Your left leg slightly hits the reasonably hard tunnel / centre console.
3. The steering wheel height it awkwardly positioned to see the speedometer. Lowering the steering wheel means banging your knee when entering the car.

The car seems excellent with those exceptions, particularly the head/shoulder support, which is a bit of a deal breaker for me.

Has anyone else experienced this? Did you find any way to resolve this?

I am looking at getting an EV home charger. Can anyone tell me which ones are good in NZ? (Brands/models). I am interested to know what I should be looking out for and what to avoid? Bad experiences? Also are there any must have features which make charging better/easier/cheaper?

Any issues? Hiccups with the tech? Handling, regen braking issues etc? Thanks!

I work in finance and work closely with our sales team who administer the car fleet for about 60 sales reps across NZ. This financial year is the first one where the whole fleet will be HEV as diesels have rolled off contract. Our work parking building has priority spaces for BEVs and we also have 2 MGs lined up as BEV pool cars. When you combine the fuel crisis with increase in hybrids (65% of new Toyotas are hybrid), cheaper and nicer Chinese BEVs and longer range PHEVs and what will be a really strong second hard market to come what do you think the car landscape in NZ will look like? I think there will always be be a place for a diesel tow car and a cheaper petrol run about but do you see ICE/ diesel cars depreciating rapidly? I also think that BEVs will become like phones and TVs where the new tech comes out cheaper so the old tech loses its resale value. Thoughts?

Looking for advise.

As the title. Ora 5 is cheaper (ish), bigger, has more range.

Range is probably the most important factor for me. Then it's ride quality (bumps, noise etc). Also would prefer ventilated seats but not a deal breaker. Other than that I'm not too fussed on other features as long as I can connect my phone and use Google Maps.

Any suggestions welcome.

Edit: Just to add I'm looking to buy a new car not used and this will be my first EV.

Can't sell what you don't have..

when trying to buy it says arrive June/July

anyone has any specific ideas of where the ship is at the moment and when you'd actually get the car?

thanks