Taupo EV dealers put range to the test

Taupo-based electric vehicle dealers George Knights and Steve Greenwood put a Renault Zoe to the test around the Forgotten World Highway, a 150km route winding from Taumaranui to Stratford.

Knights and Greenwood operate Taupo’s Drive EV dealership, and say the highway was the perfect place to try some ‘real world’ range testing on their electric cars.

“It’s a pretty remote part of the country,” says Greenwood. “It is hilly, the weather is variable, and it can be difficult to get a signal on your mobile phone. When you drive this road you’re really putting your vehicle through its paces.”

The distance an EV can drive on one charge is affected by variables such as outside air temperature, use of air conditioning, rate of acceleration, and gradient.

“With electric vehicles it can be difficult to know the difference between advertised range and real-world range” says Knights. “Some cars can have an advertised range of more than 400km, but when you test them out on an open road in New Zealand that range can drop significantly.”

He took a couple of days to drive the latest Renault Zoe in a round trip from Taupo to New Plymouth via the Forgotten World Highway.

Knights stopped overnight at Whangamomona to charge up at a campground, then topped up the next day at The Warehouse charging stations in New Plymouth and Te Kuiti.

“The great thing about electric cars is there are so many places to re-charge,” he says.

“There are no petrol stations for 150km along the Forgotten World Highway, but I could plug in at any campground along the way. While you are charging you get a chance to stop and talk with the locals and take in the sights. It’s not just about getting to the end destination, it’s about exploring and experiencing the places you’re travelling through,” Knights says.

Greenwood says although an average commute in New Zealand is under 29km daily, many Drive EV customers want to know how far they can drive on one charge.

“We’re one of the first dealerships in the country getting out there and actually testing electric cars on local roads because we want to know what they’re capable of,” he says.

“The Renault Zoe performed really well, with a range of over 260km on the open road.”