NHP are pleased to announce that we are participating in the Victorian Government’s electric vehicle trial, an initiative that aligns perfectly with our aim to maintain more sustainable practices in the workplace. The trial, which has now begun and will run until mid-2014, will help the Victorian Government to better understand the process, time lines and barriers for transitioning to electric vehicle technologies.
NHP’s involvement in this state-wide EV trial commenced in August and will be conducted over a 6 month period and has begun with the Mitsubishi iMiEV for three months followed by the Nissan Leaf.
With charging bays at NHP’s Richmond Head Office and National Manufacturing and Distribution Facility in Laverton, this will be a fantastic opportunity to highlight our ambition in this market and more than that, our growing capabilities.
“The Mitsubishi iMiEV has highlighted the fact that electric cars aren’t science fiction anymore and are perfectly feasible with new battery technology and improved electric motors”, offered NHP’s Development Engineer and trial participant, David Cheng.
“Electric vehicles aren’t just the domain of hobbyists and DIYers anymore. At NHP we’re really looking forward to working with the Victorian Government during this trial and embracing this new technology”.
More than 20 fleets have taken part in the trial to date, including AGL, Bosch, RACV, Melbourne Airport, Monash University, and local government.
Comments
Hopefully they will come back and be affordable in the near fuutre as battery technology improves, but here is the run down on why they were only concepts or projects:1 Battery packs weigh 1000 pounds2 Batteries lose full capacity after only 2-3 years3 Even with 1000 pounds, range was either 40 miles at 80 mph, or 80 miles at 40 mph. Neither made anyone happy.4 "Filling up the tank" took 8-10 hours (recharging)5 Battery replacement cost every few years was hundreds of $$6 Car cost was twice that of a gas car7 Batteries took up the whole car's cargo spaceHowever I am part of an EV club myself, and between lithium ion technology and ultra capacators, we should see an affordable one in about 10 years or so. Maybe sooner. The Tesla electric uses 6,000 lithium ion computer batteries and is already under a hundred thousand. $95,000.00 I think. $45,000 just for the replacement battery pack though. Give it time and it will come down.In the meantime, get a diesel and run B100 biodiesel or get a used Hybrid. Hybrids fix all these problems because the battery pack (cost) can be very small, yet you still can go 300 miles without stopping.Good luck, by asking this question, I can tell you are on the right direction to making a difference.greencarcongress.com might interest you