hursday 8 September, 2016

Electric vehicles the way of the future

Otago Polytechnic employee Pam McKinlay is passionate about EVs (Electric Vehicles). Pam, who is one of the facilitators of the Dunedin EV Owners Group, is also helping organise the upcoming Drive Electric Week in Dunedin.

Drive Electric Week is part of an international celebration to heighten awareness about the widespread availability of plug-in vehicles and highlight the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric cars. To kick off the event in Dunedin, the Dunedin EV Owners Group has been invited to hold a display at the Otago Autospectacular which opens its doors at the Edgar Centre on Saturday 10, September. There will also be two other electric vehicle specialist stands at the Autospectacular.

Since purchasing an EV a year ago, the savings on petrol alone has made Pam question why she didn’t buy one sooner. “They’re cheaper to run, need less maintenance than a conventional car – and they’re really fun to drive,” she says.

Pam chose an EV in an effort to reduce her contribution to carbon emissions. “We have to make the changes in our lives that we can. EVs produce 80% fewer CO2 emissions than a petrol car when used in New Zealand.”

Otago Polytechnic shares Pam’s enthusiasm for EVs. As part of its aim to provide forward-thinking, sustainable transport initiatives, the institution has recently purchased a Nissan LEAF, a compact electric hatchback car. An all-electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF (which stands for ‘leading environmentally-friendly affordable family car’), produces no tailpipe pollution or greenhouse gas emissions.

Otago Polytechnic associate professor, Tom Qi, has also generated a lot of interest recently with his electric-powered, self-driving transport device. The prototype, which is the result of a six-year project, is controlled via the internet and designed to be parked in a house, where it could be charged.

Pam McKinlay believes that electric vehicles are the way of the future. “Our EV covers 99% of our driving needs,” she explains. “And for the 1% we use an on demand model – a hire car. I also think that in the future there will be EV car-share schemes. These are big overseas and just starting in New Zealand. Car share schemes mean you book the car and pay for the time you use it. An app handles the location and booking.”

She also explains that leveraging off the power we generate at home makes an EV even better sense. “It’s like getting free fuel when you recharge at home. The next generation of EV batteries can be used for battery storage – so your vehicle can be used to power your house when not in use.”

Drive Electric Week runs from 10-18 September, 9:00am – 4:00pm, at Dunedin’s Edgar Centre.

-ENDS-

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