James Foster at EVDB NZ has done the numbers for electric vehicle (EV) sales in New Zealand for November, and it looks like Ford's hitting it off with buyers.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E range was the top selling battery EV (BEV) in October, with 143 registered that month. For November, the figures aren't looking that good, with 86 Mach-Es being registered, but that's enough to propel the electric Mustang to the top spot again.
Nissan, which did a one-eighty on bringing the Ariya to New Zealand and then another one so it's now here in three variants, with 63 and 87 kilowatt hour (kWh) batteries, 160 to 290 kW engines and in front-wheel and all-wheel drive models ranging from $59,990 to $89,990, saw 30 of said vehicles registered.
Kia did one better with the EV5 SUV. Looking at the specs for the EV5, all models have a fairly large 88.3 kWh battery, and estimated ranges from 555 to 470 km, depending on if you go for the front-wheel drive cars, or pick the more powerful all-wheel drive ones with dual motors.
Tesla is not having a good month, with just 15 Model Ys registered in November. That's down from 48 in October.
| Rank | Model | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | 86 |
| 2 | Polestar 2 | 63 |
| 3 | Volkswagen ID.5 | 54 |
| 4 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 48 |
| 5 | BYD Atto 3 | 44 |
| 6 | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 35 |
| 7 | Kia EV5 | 31 |
| 8 | Nissan Ariya | 30 |
| 9 | MG 4 | 27 |
| 10 | Lexus RZ 450e | 25 |
| 11 | Kia EV6 | 23 |
| 12 | Hyundai IONIQ 6 | 19 |
| 13 | Kia EV9 | 15 |
| 14 | Tesla Model Y | 15 |
| 15 | Kia Niro | 14 |
Volkswagen was the top selling marque for November, with 102 battery vehicles in total.
Foster notes there are some chunky discounts to be had on EVs, with the standout one being Toyota's BZ4X, which we drove recently (and liked). The BZ4X now goes for $57,990 new, down from $72,990. Whether or not the discounted pricing currently on some EVs will remain next year remains to be seen. A quick look at Trade Me listings finds plenty of dealers slashing prices on all types of vehicles, suggesting times are tough across the board currently.
It was also interesting to get some further information on lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) batteries, which is what BYD, some Tesla models and Ford use. Compared to regular lithium-ion batteries, BYD, for example, says to charge the LiFePo4 energy storage to 100 per cent once a week. So not to the usual recommended 80 per cent to extend battery life. New research suggests to charge to 100 per cent once a month, and keep the top ups to 75 per cent in-between.
What about EV battery degradation which comment section opinion suggests is a massive concern, to the point that it's nigh impossible to drive the car out of the dealership lot without replacing the electricity storage? Well... this is going to be disappointing, but it does seem to be a non-issue. Unless there's a fault, an EV battery is unlikely to ever need replacing. That's it, you drive hundreds of thousands of kilometres on the original EV battery in the vast majority of cases, with minimal capacity degradation.
39 Comments
Apparently some people are embarrassed to be seen in a Tesla after Elon's intervention in the US elections...
They just need to buy the anti-Elon bumper stickers:
Tesla Owners Buying Up ‘Insane’ Number of Anti-Elon Musk Bumper Stickers - Heatmap News
The small battery size is the main issue with lots of deep cycling. I had a 2018 40kWh Leaf which I bought at 3 years old and a battery state of health of 89.0% and sold it three years and 30,000km later at 88.4%. That battery will easily outlast the rest of the car and will give many years of cheap second-hand motoring. The main drawback of the lack of thermal management was the battery heating up on longer trips and slowing the DC charging rate.
kwimm,
We have a 2017 40kwh Leaf which we bought in early 2021 as a second car to do almost all our local driving. Like you, the SOH of the battery has changed little over the period. Fully charged, its range is around 160ks and that is more than enough for our purposes.
I am one of the Tesla buyers (antics of the CEO don’t bother me, the product is good).
Ordered in June, and the car was only registered today finally.
Maybe they’ll have a better December. Or maybe the CEO really is that toxic to the brand (and there is much more competition).
We shall see!
Elon is now a d*ck - that’s one reason, coming from a previous supporter.
Second, Ford and others are now giving their lame duck cars away because they were piling up, unsold. The Mach-Es are all 2023 models on runout. The truly awful Toyota BZ4X is doing the same thing.
Third, why not buy a BYD if it’s good and $20k cheaper?
The real talking point should be - what does the future hold for bankrupt car makers like Nissan and VW, whose product offerings are poor and/or whose prices are too high?
Oh you mean his daughter who now has nothing more to do with him?
In her own post, Vivian called out her father's hate-filled rhetoric online, saying it was based in a "ketamine-fueled haze." The tech mogul's own daughter then accuses him of feening for the world's attention as he's "desperate" for external validation "from an army of red-pilled incels and pick-mes who are quick to give it to him."
https://x.com/Tesla/status/1863433027155804639
There ya go. Nothing weird, although i wouldn't be enabling the Auto gear shift function (not applicable to my car).
yes, Thats been true in the past, but for the non-performance 3 they should have most combos in inventory. Also model Y sales will be slow at the moment because people think they aren't far off launching the facelift of the model Y, but AFAIK nothing is confirmed about when they will be launched.
There seem to be a number of people that want to sell their EVs just because they want something new and not because there is anything wrong (or worn out) with the car.
Secondhand EV buyers are put off as they don't know how the first owner treated the car (especially with regard to battery charging habits). Media and social media misinformation adds to this (I have often suspected that oil industry shills contribute too).
Buying an EV would suggest wanting to save the planet in some way,but swapping it out every year or two categorically doesn't help this. So eff, an owner selling their EV because they want one in this year's colour means they should suffer the cost of this decision.
Buying an EV would suggest wanting to save the planet in some way
Nope, just better to drive and far less maintenance.
,but swapping it out every year or two categorically doesn't help this. So eff, an owner selling their EV because they want one in this year's colour means they should suffer the cost of this decision.
Actually it does, they aren't sending the 2yo EV to the wreckers, they are selling it. So now instead of one person owning an EV, two people own EVs, and somewhere further down the chain, some 20yo banger of a petrol/diesel car hopefully gets sent to the scrap yard for recycling.
Buying an EV would suggest wanting to save the planet in some way
I'm not saying it is the sole reason to buy an EV.
Actually it does, they aren't sending the 2yo EV to the wreckers, they are selling it. So now instead of one person owning an EV, two people own EVs, and somewhere further down the chain, some 20yo banger of a petrol/diesel car hopefully gets sent to the scrap yard for recycling.
It is argued that the environmental cost of building any new car is worse than continuing to run an existing car. I'd also contest that it is unlikely someone is changing out a 20 year old banger for a 2yo EV.
Actually, on that note, I know a person with a 20yo VW Golf and it's far from a banger.
Seems the US is dumping their EVs onto Kiwis. Whatever love affair, if any, there was or is in the US is waning and I think there is massive unsold inventory which manufacturers are trying to dump on their dealers.
Warning, not for Tesla or EV enthusiasts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-ACbSWBQAU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GZhZfFbfxY
Hertz dumping EVs that no one wants to rent has been well known. Rental giant Hertz dumps EVs, including Teslas, for gas cars | Reuters
We've just bought a 10 year old Toyota imported hybrid as the run-a-round. It takes a bit of getting used to & we don't do the big miles we used to, but it will save us $1,000 pa in petrol costs at least. We had the battery tested which came in at 65% of maximum or 35% degradation - whatever that turns out to mean. Anyhow, I love it. It's a Toyota. What's not to love.
Petrol and diesel electric is an interesting concept and has been used for years in locomotives and large mining equipment.
It will be interesting to see if the new Dodge Ramcharger pickup and the Edison Motors heavy trucks become popular alternatives to pure electric.
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