How Much is Too Much for EV Driving Range?

How long should an EV be able to travel on a full battery?  ‘Neue Klasse’, from BMW, suggests that 1000 kilometres is about right.  BMW’s New Class of vehicles are not far off the runway now, said to be arriving in 2025.  And they are going to be the first BMWs-ever that have been designed from the ground up to be specifically all-electric, EV through-and-through.

That does raise an interesting question: How far should we expect our brand spanking new EVs to go on a full charge (a full tank of electrons instead of a full tank of gas)?  Should we be able to drive from Sydney to Melbourne (877 km), Sydney to Adelaide (1374 km), Sydney to Cairns (2430 km), Sydney to Perth (3932 km), or just Sydney to Wollongong and back (about 175 km) on a full battery?

Most of us are probably sick of driving non-stop after 6–8 hours max in a day.  So, say most of that was done at 100 km/h, then 100 × 8 hours would get you to 800 kilometres before you’d be needing a proper cup of coffee in a proper coffee cup!  It would be then you’d want a rest and a sleep, right?

Perhaps Neue Klasse has got it bang on then.  1000 km would cover an all day blast up the coast from Sydney to Brisbane, which is approximately a total of 911 kilometres via the coastal route.  Get to the end of that journey, and you could pull up at a mate’s place for tea, or a motel, and plug in your EV overnight ready for the long drive back home.

According to Thomas Albrecht (BMW’s head of Efficient Dynamics), in 2025, New Class EV BMWs are set to have “thirty-percent or more” range than what’s currently available now.  That means that the brand-new BMW EV platform with lots of fresh pieces of technology, including 46 mm cylindrical battery cells, should push the Generation 6 batteries out to around 1000 km before they run out of electron juice.  Even though BMW could go further than this 1000 kilometre range, Albrecht suggested that this would be the maximum that BMW will offer because they don’t think that such a long range is necessary.

BMW will debut the new Generation 6 batteries in the 2025 BMW 3 Series EV.  How much do you think we should be able to get out of the battery packs in any new EV bought in 2025–2030?  I’d be interested to know – remembering that battery tech and recharging times will likely have vastly improved by then.

Australia’s Best Racing Circuits, and a Bit of Porsche News at the End.

Australia is a racing car enthusiast’s haven. When professional car racing first began in Australia, it lacked the local presence of manufacturers from brands like Ferrari and Mercedes – both of which helped establish a strong racing tradition in Europe.  Despite Europe’s success, Australia was able to build racetracks down under that Australians and people around the world enjoyed visiting to watch – and even today they deliver some of the very best motor racing has to offer.

5 of the most famous racetracks in Australia would have to be:

1. Phillip Island

You can find the Phillip Island Circuit situated about 2 hours outside of Melbourne City.  Its racing heritage harks back to the 1920s.  The current racetrack has been in use since 1956, although it has undergone minor changes during its life.  Phillip Island is a wonderfully free-flowing circuit with a stunning backdrop of Port Phillip Bay.  This famous track is loved by both motorcycle racers as well as those from the car racing fraternity.  Phillip Island is currently a permanent yearly fixture for the MotoGP calendar.

Loads of motorbikes are included in the race circuit’s fastest lap times, with a Yamaha YZR–M1 ridden by Maverick Viñales in 2019 claiming the quickest lap time of 1 min:28 sec.49.  You have to look down to 57^th place before finding the quickest lap time accomplished by a car.  57^th place was run in 1 min:38 sec.02 in a Porsche 918 Spyder driven by Matthias Hoffsummer.  A 2020 BMW M3 ran around Phillips Island in 1 min: 45 sec.03 – a car that may be a little more recognisable and common to the masses.

2. The Adelaide Street Circuit

The Adelaide Street Circuit hosted the Australian F1 Grand Prix in the 90s.  This famous track saw racing icons Alain Prost, Aryton Senna, and Michael Schumacher score podiums on their journey to winning their F1 World Driver’s Championship.  Because it was regularly the last race of the F1 season, the Adelaide Street Circuit track often had high stakes drama, with its competitors looking to win the last points of the season on what is a fast and flowing circuit.  This drama added to the buzz in the air, playing host to a great party atmosphere once the final race was completed.

Although Melbourne has more recently created another famous racetrack – Albert Park – the Adelaide Street Circuit is still special.  Although F1 cars no longer rip around this circuit, the V8 Supercars event has become one of the its best series.

The fastest time (1 min: 15 sec.381) ever recorded on the Adelaide Street Circuit was performed by Damon Hill back in 1993, while driving his Williams FW15C Renault Formula One.

3. Albert Park

As mentioned above, Albert Park is in the seaside suburb of St Kilda, just outside the Melbourne CBD.  Albert Park Circuit has played host to the Australian Grand Prix since 1996 and is a track that provides fantastic motor racing.  Albert Park is also a track that anyone can tackle a lap of the circuit in their own car.  It’s possible to drive around the circuit many times on any day of the week.

A Formula One Car called the Ferrari F1–75 driven by Charles Leclerc this year (2022) set a time of 1 min:20 sec.260, which is the fastest time ever set on the track.  To give you an idea just how quick that is – Craig Baird drove his Mercedes AMG GT3 car around in 1 min: 54 sec.7311.  Craig Baird’s record time in the GT3 Class is 8^th quickest for a car more recognizable with cars can be driven on our roads legally.

4. Sandown Raceway

Sandown Raceway is a track that, along with Phillip Island and Albert Park, enhances Victoria’s claim to possessing Australia’s greatest collection of famous racetracks. Until Albert Park arrived on the scene, Sandown was regarded by many as Victoria’s premier circuit.  Sandown Raceway is where brilliant Aussie racers like Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, and other heroes have shown off their skills to a home audience.  Sandown Raceway circuit still finds regular use today, most notably among drag racing enthusiasts.

5. Bathurst/Mount Panorama

Formula One and MotoGP tracks inside Australia are rightfully famous.  Events in these high-end categories are truly global, and even our home-grown Aussie drivers have made a name for themselves racing in these very events.  But Mount Panorama/Bathurst is perhaps the most famous track of all to most Australians.

The New South Wales circuit plays a yearly host to the V8 Supercar race, and it has been a place where legendary battles between Ford and Holden have been played out before loyal fans.  Mount Panorama is also where brilliant racers like Peter Brock and Craig Lowndes have cemented their status as giant motor racing legends.

The outright fastest time for getting around the Mount Panorama Track was accomplished in an Audi R8 LMS, where the 2 minute barrier was broken in a time of 1 min: 59 sec.2910; Christopher Mies was the R8’s driver.  The quickest Touring Car that has ever made it round the circuit was a Ford Mustang GT driven by Chaz Mostert in the Supercars Championship of 2019 with a time of 2 min: 04 sec.7602.

Nurburgring (Germany)

And for something a little different… Porsche has just reclaimed the production EV Nürburgring lap record from Tesla, running a time of 7 min: 33 sec with a Porsche Taycan Turbo S EV.  The Tesla Model S Plaid’s lap time was 7 min: 35 sec set in September of 2021.

The production performance EV class is rapidly growing and features a variety of body styles. This means Porsche will likely be challenged by faster EVs in the near future.

Is it Time we Scrap the Luxury Car Tax?

Following changes to the thresholds for the luxury car tax, the future of the impost is once again in the spotlight, especially now that Australia’s days of local auto manufacturing are well and truly in the rear-view mirror. The measure was first introduced with the intention to help protect local manufacturers amid the slew of high-spec vehicles that one can only assume were deemed to be an ‘impediment’ to jobs and the economy.

On the back of the changes in 2022, the 33% tax applying to imported vehicles less than two years of age now covers a value in excess of $71,849 including GST, or a threshold of $84,916 for fuel-efficient vehicles where that car consumes no more than 7L of fuel per 100km.

Given the tax contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the Federal Budget, it’s not like the government doesn’t have an incentive to prop up another tax as long as Joe Public foots the bill. That’s despite the fact that the tax has long been considered a thorn in the side of the European Union and negotiations of a free trade agreement. But while the amount of tax proceeds may seem vital to the country, the costs to administer the tax are arguably as much as what it reaps.

What circumstances have changed?

One of the key differences now, as opposed to when the tax was first introduced, is that the new car industry is in a dire position thanks to the global supply chain crisis, as well as issus securing stock. Interest rates are now on the rise, but even at historic lows, the industry has been seeing sales slide for some months now after a brief respite. All the while, more buyers are transitioning to SUVs and other more-affordable and reliable brands.

In addition, the impact of the tax on some of those hardest-hit by natural disasters has started to unfold. More specifically, many farmers have bought vehicles that are slapped with a luxury car tax – and no, they’re not driving around in Mercedes AMGs or Ferraris for that matter, but workmanlike vehicles such as the Toyota LandCrusier or Prado – yet all the while, the effects of natural disasters continue to weigh on their livelihood. Motorists are ultimately the ones who foot the bill for the LCT, even though it was designed to be absorbed by dealerships.

The reality of the situation

Frankly, at the end of the day, Australians shouldn’t be slugged to protect an industry that no longer exists. The local manufacturing industry, while beneficial from a jobs perspective, was artificially supported for longer than was ever realistic or sustainable. In fact, it’s easy to argue that the plug should have been pulled on the LCT earlier, back in 2017 when Holden ceased manufacturing operations.

Even if the government has a vested interest in maintaining an otherwise unnecessary tax, the mechanics of it just don’t make sense when not only has it not been tied to inflation – that would mean higher thresholds that are more ‘friendly’ to new car buyers to day – but we are supposed to be trying to encourage people to adopt fuel efficient cars. Yet, here we are, punishing motorists who purchase ‘eco-friendly’ vehicles. That the luxury car tax has lasted this long, is a true surprise, particularly if we’re keen to stave off a potential recession. Let’s not even get started on those unnecessary import tariffs either…for now at least.

Let’s Go and Caravan

We’ve got the country, we’ve got the beauty, and it seems peoples’ love for caravanning and camping around Oz is growing steadily.  The latest figures from Tourism Research Australia show that the popularity of domestic caravanning and camping trips is one pastime that many Australians cherish.  It’s not hard to see why people enjoy it, when there is so much natural beauty in Australia’s landscapes and wildlife.

According to the latest domestic tourism record, it shows that Australians spent a total of 54.5 million nights caravanning and camping during the year ending March 2019.  This number is an increase of 6.5% from the previous year.  While on these trips, many caravanners and campers also opted to eat out at local cafes or restaurants, a bonus for the local businesses.  This growth was experienced across the board, in all States and Territories, with over 10% growth recorded for Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland.  Interestingly, in terms of age demographics, those with a family in tow – i.e. parents with one or more children living at home – belonged to the demographic group that accounted for the largest number of caravan/camp trips in a year.  People who were part of the younger, mid-life demographic, and with no children, were those of the second largest group taking plenty of caravanning or camping trips (4.2 million).  When it comes to the most nights away in a year, the older non-working demographic (often called ‘grey nomads’) were leading the way with 32% of the total number of nights spent in Australia caravanning or camping.  In comparison, the family segment was only slightly less at 30%.

Sorry tenters, but I’m getting older and so will give my few cents worth for caravanning in the following!  I enjoy getting away in our caravan when we can.  Having a caravan in tow allows for a little more comfort on the trip, with less hassle on arrival at each new destination.  Everything you really need is with you, and the beds are ready made for the night, with no need to pitch tent!

I would certainly recommend trying caravanning, particularly if you like the idea of enjoying the great outdoors, getting away from most of the electronic vices, and smelling the clean air.  You get to meet a whole bunch of friendly, like-minded people along the way.  You also get to discover the many new places you’ve never seen before or rediscover your old favourite spots that you love to get back to.  These sorts of experiences are a treat that I never grow tired of.

Caravan Types

Here are some of the varieties of caravans you can buy without looking into purchasing a fully-fledged motorhome:

Standard Caravan

Easy to tow. It really just depends on the tow rating of your car as to how large or heavy the standard caravan is.  The smaller the caravan, generally, the lighter and easier it is to tow than bigger ones.  Standard caravans come in a range of sizes, single and tandem axles, and so some of the standard caravans can even be pulled by smaller cars.

Because standard caravans aren’t as heavy as the more ruggedly designed off-road caravans, they demand less torque and horsepower to tow comfortably out on the open road; thus, they are more economical on the fuel/power bill.

Standard caravans are also a bit easier to store and manipulate by hand, particularly the smaller ones.

Pop Tops

Pop-tops are easy to tow. Small caravans like pop-ups are, generally, much lighter and easier to tow from A to B than larger types of caravans.  You get much better fuel economy towing a pop-top because of the lower drag co-efficiency.

Pop-tops a doddle to store and manipulate by hand, particularly the smaller ones.

Expander

The merits of an expander caravan are similar to any standard or off-road caravan; however, they have the added bonus of a variety of pop-out areas that can be designed into the ceiling and walls.  Essentially, pop these areas out at your destination, and you have a lot more interior space and utility at your disposal while being stationary.  Just before you tow away, these areas are fold back into place, and away you tow again.

Off Road Caravan or Camper

The merits of having an off-road capable caravan or camper speak for themselves.  They have been built tough and rugged so that you can tow them off-road.  Obviously, you are going to need a bigger, torquier vehicle to tow this type of caravan/camper as they are heavier built and weigh more.  Usually, these are towed by a decent 4×4 capable vehicle like a Land Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser, Ford Ranger, etc.

Camper Trailer

Similar to a pop-up caravan, except they fold out an array of attached tents.  These are light and easy to tow.  They can be designed for towing both on and off the road.  They are cheaper to buy, as are pop tops.