Electric vehicles (EVs) aren’t the stuff of science fiction, they are very real and they are here to stay!
If you haven’t seen an electric vehicle for yourself, come along to a Leading The Charge event. At these events, you will be able to talk to some of the owners or read information about the current EV situation in New Zealand and what steps are being taken to increase uptake.
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Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 09:00 AM through October 04, 2020 · 4 rsvps
North Island loopEV NI Road Tour 2020
INTERNATIONAL DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK
SATURDAY 26th September – SATURDAY 3rd October 2020
UPDATE
As at the middle of August we have a total of 10 cars containing 16 people travelling to New Plymouth on the first leg of the North Island RoadTour. Half the cars are Tesla Model 3’s with a Tesla X, a Tesla S, 2 Kona and a Leaf making up the total! So Hyundai and Nissan entirely eclipsed by the mighty Tesla! One Model 3 will leave us at Upper Hutt and take the ferry to Picton to join up with the South Island trippers, travelling as far as Queenstown.
Activity/Attraction lists for the New Plymouth area and the Feilding area have been compiled to offer travellers things to do in those locations if they have time, but the Tour was designed primarily as a holiday, and hanging out in motels chatting about the day’s travels is also to be encouraged! As a seasoned EV RoadTripper I can confirm that sometimes that is all you want to do when a new location is reached – whether with a cuppa or a glass of an alcoholic beverage!
Some travellers may take the opportunity to drop in on family or friends on the way! A subtle way to show EVs can travel distance in comfort, style and very economically!
The NI loop is about 1,700 km in length but we will obviously all do more kilometres than that as we explore the overnight stops, and possibly do side trips during the travelling days. But remember that number and also the fact that an ICE car running at say 7.5 litres of fuel/100km would use just over $250 worth of dino-juice on the trip. We can compare ChargeNet bills at the end of the trip to see what each car used at fast chargers. Many motels are happy to let EVs slow charge overnight and we always take that opportunity when presented.
Originally we had thought we would get a Tour T-shirt/hoodie designed for all participants, but we have shelved that idea - however the Trust still has some EECA branded caps that we can hand out to those who like wearing them! That saved cost will go towards the Trust funded dinners – we hope you are happy with that move!
More details to follow and keep an eye out on our EV 2020 Road Tour page: https://www.leadingthecharge.org.nz/ltc_2020_road_tour
Images from 2019 Great EV Road Trip: Picnic lunch at Wharerata. Joint dinner in Napier.