Sylvia Wilson drove around Australia in an electric car. It cost her $150.90.

Wilson, 70, a retired farmer from near Biloela in central Queensland, had planned the trip of a lifetime with her husband, Rod. One impulsive evening in mid-2016 they went online and, sight-unseen, bought a Tesla S75 electric car for the journey.

A few months after Rod died last year, Sylvia announced to her family: “I think I’ll do that trip.

“Most of them were really keen. A couple of them said ‘you’re mad, you’ll never do it’,” Wilson told Guardian Australia.

[The Guardian - 11 Sept 2018]

Electric gained the upper hand against petrol, at least initially, in a drag race at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell yesterday.

A Tesla Model X electric vehicle (right) surged ahead at the beginning of a race against a Ferrari 488 (left),  the Ferrari only catching up later in the race.

[Otago Daily Times - 10 September 2018]

[Photo Simon Henderson]

A Tesla Model X left a Ferrari 488 in its dust during the early stages of a friendly drag race at “The Hare and Turtle” Drive Electric Week event at Cromwell.

[Geoff Dobson - EV Talk - 10 September 2018]

Whangārei, the country's Friendliest Electric Vehicle town, launched Drive Electric Week with a convoy of EVs at the Whangārei Growers Market on Saturday.

[Northern Advocate - 11 Sept 2018]

With it's unveiling set for Sept 9th inside a Boeing 777F from the Lufthansa Cargo fleet, BMW has given a sneak peek at their next gen electric car.

"While the video is edited so that we can barely see the vehicle, it’s another thing if you use freeze-frame and tweak the exposure a little," says Fred Lambert of Elecktrek. "We can see that it is more of a crossover than a sedan – meaning that it is sitting a little higher."

Click for full article and video

[Fred Lambert - Electrek - 4 Sept 2018]

Drive Electric Week starts in New Zealand on September 8 with a growing number of events being added to the list.

It will be launched first internationally on September 8 from 7am with an EV display at the Whangarei Growers Market, the display returning on September 15.

The September 8 event is followed by a morning tea at the Totara Cafe in Tikipunga, Whangarei, 10.30am.

Corporate EVs will be displayed and rides and drives available at QBE Stadium in Albany, Auckland, September 8, noon-4pm.

Wellington EV advocates Sigurd Magnusson and Jorn Scherzer talk EVs at the War Memorial Library in Lower Hutt on September 8, 1.3pm-2.30pm.

Flip the Fleet’s Henrik Moller provides short presentations at an EV presentations and drives afternoon the same day at the Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery in Alexandra from 3pm. The event links with an exhibition on climate change.

Complete List of Events here

[Geoff Dobson - EV Talk - 1 September 2018]

Read full EV Talk article here

More than three-quarters of owners who took part in a new "Flip the Fleet" poll believed cash incentives would be needed if more than half of new vehicle registrations were to be electric by 2025.

Of more than 66,000 new or used light vehicle registrations in the first three months of this year, just over 800 were EVs.

As at last month, New Zealand's EV fleet stood at 9,241 - although that was still a big leap from the 206 EVs recorded at the same time five years ago.

Richard Pither's workshop (Porirua Motors) is one of 24 around the country that have banded together to offer customers electric courtesy cars while their own cars are in for repairs.

Most of the workshops are also sending technicians on training courses to upskill in electric vehicle (EV) service, maintenance and repair. EVs have only a fraction of the moving parts in a typical petrol or diesel car so are much cheaper to maintain. But they still have brakes, wheels, tyres and electronic issues, and they still need regular checks and servicing. "We're fully trained to look after the whole EV," says Pither.

Courtesy EVs give people a convenient way to see what the electric cars are like to drive and to practice charging up at home – a first step to buying one in the future, says Mark Nixon, EV advocate and driving force behind the scheme.

Read Full Article

[Stuff Motoring - 26 Aug 2018]

This week, Opel has revealed its concept car and renewed their intention to release four BEV/PHEV by 2020 and an ambitious complete electrification of its lineup by 2024.

Earlier this year, Opel announced plans to build its own electric cars as its Chevy Bolt EV deal with GM isn’t working out.

The newly unveiled concept car will be released in the competitive Compact SUV segment of the market.

Read Full Article and view more images

[Fred Lambert - Electrek - 23 Aug 2018]