https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/nz/112938354/i-took-an-electric-campervan-out-for-a-south-island-adventure I took an electric campervan out for a South Island adventure May 27 2019 Liz Carlson
[image https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/v/8/n/x/l/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.1240x700.1v8nsi.png/1558888703483.jpg Liz Carlson Leaving the eVolve to charge, I could go for a wander, grab lunch or a coffee and take in a new place, in no rush to be anywhere. ] Arrowtown's autumn colours were a delight to experience from the comfort of a camper. [image] Liz Carlson Arrowtown's autumn colours were a delight to experience from the comfort of a camper. As someone who travels professionally for a living, I've become used to a fast-paced lifestyle, often changing hotels every night or so and spending a lot of time on the road. But, for the longest time, I've been yearning to slow down, take my time and get to know places better. I often find the best travel moments occur when you don't plan for them and the greatest memories are often a real surprise. Nowadays on road trips, I often slow right down and take my time and I always make sure to be around Central Otago at the end of April when the leaves turn gold and the wine harvests begin. [image] The best travel moments usually occur when you don't plan for them and the greatest memories are often a real surprise. Liz Carlson Hoping to get out and about over the Easter holiday, I was excited to have the chance to do a little roadie in New Zealand's first electric campervan. Britz Campervans have just launched the eVolve, a fully electric campervan for travel in New Zealand, with little fleets in Queenstown and Auckland. New Zealand is slowly catching up with the rest of the world with the introduction of Teslas and electric cars popping up everywhere and now, with many charging stations appearing all over the country, it's easier than ever before to get around without fuel. Britz is partnering with holiday parks all over New Zealand to introduce electric charging stations for their vans, though you can also charge the eVolve with a normal 240v caravan plug (it's just not as fast to charge up). Combined with an app called Plugshare, where you can input your car details and see charging stations all over New Zealand, it makes for a new and fresh way to explore our backyard. [image] Travelling by campervan made it easy to soak up the sights like this view of Central Otago's Bannockburn. Liz Carlson Perhaps what I found the most-surprising and hardest thing to get used to while driving was the complete lack of sound. There is no ignition turning over, no engine rumbling – it's completely quiet. I even got into the habit of giving the horn a beep when I was backing up to make sure people could hear me coming. Right now, the charging range is around 120 km, which means super long days on the road are a lot harder because you'll have to stop to charge up several times, which can take an hour or so. I really loved it because it meant I had to stop to charge in little towns I might not have otherwise. Leaving the car to charge (the plug locks in place), I would go for a wander, grab lunch or a coffee and take in a new place, in no rush to be anywhere. You can see how much power you're using on the road and the battery even recharges itself as you go downhill, extending your time out. [image] With a campervan, you can take in the view from the comfort of the cab, or venture outside. Liz Carlson The eVolve is a two-berth camper. It has a seating area at the back which transforms into a comfy double bed at night, as well as a kitchen equipped with a fridge, electric stove and plenty of storage. It is a self-contained camper, so also comes with a combined toilet/shower, though it's made from much-lighter materials. The writer travelled courtesy of Britz. [© stuff.co.nz] + https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/island-voices-going-solar-take-it-a-step-at-a-time-1.23834032 Island Voices: Going solar? Take it a step at a time May 26, 2019 With our latest solar expansion, we have installed an electric car-charging station and plan to purchase an all-electric vehicle in the near future with a reported ... https://images.glaciermedia.ca/polopoly_fs/1.23834157.1558869445!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_804/0526-slade.jpg For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/archive/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
