EV sessions for staff

A hands-on electric vehicle experience was provided for nearly 40 Trade Me Motors staff in Auckland.

All were impressed with the acceleration, quietness and other EV attributes after driving or riding in a Tesla Model S and two Nissan Leafs supplied by GVI Electric.

And most are now considering making their next personal vehicle an EV as a result.

Trade Me Motors head Alan Clark is also investigating switching the company’s fleet to EVs over the next few years once the present cars are phased out.

Clark says staff sometimes drive 300-500km a day so would need an EV which has good range. He wouldn’t mind an EV himself either.

The EV education session was organised as part of Trade Me Motors’ monthly get together to learn more about aspects of the automotive industry.

GVI Electric representatives Hayden Johnston and Russell Bowden say they provide ride and drive sessions at “any opportunity” to educate people about EVs.

“Once you get people in them they realise the advantages – they’re fast, smooth and quiet and I tell them they’ll never have to pay for gas again,” Johnston says.

Trade Me Motors staff like Ange Humble learned more about EVs during the session. “The GVI guys dispelled all the myths I had about EVs,” she says. Although she’d been in a Leaf before, it was her first time in a Tesla. “It’s surprisingly quick,” Humble says. She drives about 40km daily and learned she save about $2750 annually in fuel, paying just $7 a week for electricity to charge the car.

“Even though I don’t have an EV yet I’m having a charger put in my garage to future proof the house,” Humble says.

She found the Tesla ride very quiet and comfortable, saying its long range also provides a sense of security. “I would like to buy a Tesla, although they’re a bit pricey at the moment.”

Upfront cost and range were uncertainties for some Trade Me Motors staff, but they expect both will improve as a wider range of EVs become available.

Trade Me Motors dealer support’s Kathryn Dunbar says she was surprised to learn EVs like older Nissan Leafs could be bought for under about $10,000. It was her first time in an EV and she says the Tesla ride was quiet, smooth and she also likes the fact EVs are environmentally friendly.