Have I joined the Greenwash Brigade?
I thought buying an all-electric car would introduce me to the brave new world of green electrification. I left my petrol carbon-emitting days behind me for good… or so I thought.
Fourteen years ago I bought a hybrid (a 2007 Gen 3 Toyota Prius hybrid — not the plug-in type) and enjoyed reduced fuel expenses and emissions. However, repairs and petrol started costing more. I did my sums and estimated I’d save on power costs by at least a third if I switched to an all-electric, despite the increase in connection fees at home. With PV panels on the roof and an all-renewable provider (Diamond Energy) I’d cut my carbon emissions, too.
I didn’t come to this decision lightly. I’d spent a couple of years observing the market and technology trends. One thing had me puzzled — Toyota’s reluctance entry into the EV market. I respect the biggest automaker in the world for producing reliable products. Having lived and worked in Japan for 13 years, I respect their efficiency and attention to detail, too. Toyota, believes current battery technology is inadequate for a pure EV. Toyota dislikes the idea of carrying around a lot of battery weight that is rarely used for the sake of alleviating range anxiety. It’s a frugal attitude I admire. That’s why it has stuck to hybrids. I’d heard Toyota was focusing on hydrogen fuel cell technology, but in fact the hold-up appears to have been steady state battery technology. These batteries are dry, less likely to catch fire, are lighter and quicker to charge.
Recently, Toyota announced a breakthrough in steady state battery technology. “Toyota says its breakthrough batteries will hit the market in 2027 or 2028, giving its EVs 745 miles of range-significantly greater than any gas-powered car today-with 10-minute charging times. “
Three or four years doesn’t sound too long to wait, but it’ll probably be more like 5 to 10 years before the price is reasonable and some second-hand models are available (I don’t buy new!). Recently Toyota released its first EV, the BZ4X starting at US$42,000.
I put a lot of thought into range, weight, price and complexity. These all factor into the choice between ICE (internal combustion engine), hybrid, PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) and EVs.
I decided not to wait and bought an interim EV — a Mazda MX-30 Astina.
Hybrid versus EV — a comparison for urbanites
Mazda call their first EV ‘pragmatic’ because it’s designed for city commuters.
Going from a 17 year-old all-petrol hybrid car to a 2021 all-EV is an interesting adjustment. I thought an EV with its fewer moving parts would be less complex and therefore lower maintenance. That’s true to an extent, but not as much as I thought. Also, interacting with the controls is like learning to fly a plane.
Nevertheless, there was no more looking at petrol prices, but I do have to schedule charging at home during off-peak times to make it economical.
There are more and more charging stations coming online. It’s almost impossible to find them without an app. Once you’ve downloaded one, it’ll give a lot of information about the suitability of the station for your vehicle, price and availability.
Range
The Mazda is not overloaded with batteries, so it’s lighter (1660kg) and quicker to charge, but the range is limited to a trip to the nearest regional town (about 200klm). I rarely get out of the metropolitan area, so knowing I can get to Toowoomba on a full battery in one go is fine by me. Taking a break from driving every 2 hours is recommended, so a recharge of 30 minutes means you’re on your way after a coffee. A few months of driving and it turns out the range is in practice more like 180klm, if you’re going to avoid charging it to full and emptying it, a habit that shortens the life of the high-capacity batteries.
In the Prius, a full tank of petrol would get me to Sydney — 14 hours away. Like I need that, but it did mean only filling up once a month. Chasing cheaper prices in Brisbane is tricky because they go through a slow monthly cycle. The Prius is famously gutless and won’t tow a trailer, unlike the MX-30.
However, I am most perturbed to find that NONE of the fast charging stations in Brisbane show how their power is generated! I can’t find stations that source electricity from renewable energy! Sadly, I think this speaks volumes of the motivations behind the electrification transition. If it mattered to customers, the demand would be there and businesses would respond. I feel like an involuntary party to greenwash.
Originally published at http://equanimity.blog on May 29, 2024.
