Getting back to the thread title ( sort of ) . I went along to the Electric Vehicle Expo in Melbourne yesterday.
I was able to have a drive of a new Leaf and a Hyundai Ionic. Also had a go on a few electric mountain bikes. In short, the cars are great. Plenty of grunt, incredibly quiet and incredibly normal otherwise. You wouldn't know that you are driving an ev.
Price wise they are about 45k to 55k so still a bit expensive and their real world ranges seem to be about 260 odd ks. The Hyundai Kona , which wasn't available, will do about 400ks but it will be 60k I think.
My summary is that they would be perfect for the commuter/runaround. They are quite spacious inside so bigger than they need to be for a commuter but ok for a small family. I can't help but think that a SUV version would be better because they are just that bit more practical.
It was an awesome day. The amount of ebikes of all shapes and sizes was off the charts. If I was an inner city person, which I'm not, electric transport would be the go for me. They even had a Renault Twizzy which is a really cool little vehicle. They make so much sense for the inner city.
The big surprise for me was attendees. While there were plenty of hipster types looking at bikes and scooters, they was a sea of grey hair, prescription glasses and comfortable shoes. The amount or retiree types in there 60s and 70s was very interesting and encouraging. Quite at odds with some of the posters on here.
