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Savic test rides through the Dandenongs
While driving in our town of Emerald to get some Emerald Thai for dinner, I did a double take when I saw a Savic Motorcycles sign, randomly on the footpath. It turns out that they were running test rides today “winding through the beautiful Dandenong Ranges”. What a great idea! Test drives at dealerships and even EV shows tend to be within urban sprawls, which doesn’t offer much of a driving or riding experience. We’ve seen Savic at a few EV shows, including the recent Everything Electric in Melbourne (pictured). I wish I had known it was on, and that we weren’t recovering from a cold right now. Hopefully next time. Savic is an Australian company building electric motorcycles.
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Final day at Everything Electric Melbourne
Starting and ending with Jack Scarlett. Test drives, a panel talk about road tripping, EV conversions, and a flux capacitor, some of the highlights.
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Snapshots from Everything Electric Melbourne
Some random shots from Everything Electric Melbourne today. After a few years in Sydney, this is their first showing in Melbourne. It’s noticeably smaller, but understandable for the first appearance. Interesting panel talks. Informative staff at product booths. Huge variety of test drives available, including self driving Tesla cars. A few food truck offerings. They need more undercover seating (from sun or rain). We recommend the falafel wraps.
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A $25k BYD Atto 1 is closing in on ICE prices
About $25k for a new BYD Atto 1. Wow. EVs are now approaching the price of comparative ICE vehicles. Unfortunately, BYD couldn’t get their Atto 1 prepped in time for the show, but they did have the Atto 2 on the floor (pictured). At Everything Electric Melbourne.
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Camper vans and EV utes at Everything Electric
Checking out the Farizon electric van, decked out as a camper. Also the popular BYD Shark electric ute (plus hybrid range extender), and some towing options. At Everything Electric Melbourne.
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A peek inside the Geely EV
Nice interior of the Geely EV, at Everything Electric Melbourne. So many EV options available now.
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A flipping, rolling cat robot at Everything Electric
Dancing, flipping, rolling cat robot at Everything Electric Melbourne was a crowd pleaser. No litter box!
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Goodbye Gas, helping homes electrify
Nice to see some services (like Goodbye Gas) available to help homes get off has, upgrading to electric. Better for health, monthly bills, and clean air. At Everything Electric, Melbourne.
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Two-wheel EVs at Everything Electric Melbourne
Some of the many scooters, motorbikes and e-bikes at Everything Electric Melbourne.
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Electric police cars at Everything Electric
A Tesla Model X and Kia EV6, I think.
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Behind the wheel of an electric big rig
Big wheels keep on turnin’, electrically! Trying out a big rig at Everything Electric show Melbourne
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Why we ordered a Model Y 'Juniper' launch edition
Back in January, we took the plunge and ordered a new Tesla Model Y “Juniper” launch edition. “Ultra Red”, white interior, 20” wheels (which was the only option for the launch edition). We chose the same battery and drive as our Model 3: RWD (rear wheel drive), LFP battery (no nickel or cobalt), 0 to 100km/h in 5.9s. The main reason for the upgrade is for the greater ease of getting in and out of the car, which has been increasingly painful on Fran’s arthritic hips. As those of you who follow our Tesla Tripping blog will know, we have looked at and test driven quite a lot of other options. The best contender was the XPeng G6. In the end we stuck with the Tesla Model Y because of the huge storage space, driving performance and the tech. The Tesla app has guided us through the whole process up to now, with registration, trade-in, insurance. Today is delivery day. The final `Start` button is still disabled in the app. I’m guessing it will enable at exactly 3pm, when we’re at Tesla…
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Kia EV6 vs Tesla Model Y, test drive
Feb 1: Test drive of a Kia EV6. Forgive the dust in the photos. Highlights, comparing to Tesla Model Y: - Good acceleration. Handles okay. - More physical buttons (good or bad, depending on preference). - Manual, not auto, adjusting steering column. - Much less storage. - Smaller main screen. Blind spot camera is on an additional smaller screen, behind the steering wheel … in a blind spot! At least, I couldn’t get a good view of it, which defeats the purpose. - HUD (heads up display) was a new discovery for me. It’s terrific to see your speed within the field of view of the windscreen. - 240V V2L outlet in the car, which is great. Apple Car Play. Missing in a Tesla.
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Our 25-minute Model Y 'Juniper' test drive
Our first (and only) test drive of the new Tesla Model Y “Juniper”, at Tesla Mulgrave. We only had 25 minutes in the car, which isn’t much to fully test it. Not enough time to drive to some winding country roads, but we did manage to find a tightly curved on-ramp to a highway. Driving at speed around it, we definitely noticed more body roll compared to our sportier Model 3. This did freak out my passengers. They also found the acceleration more noticeable in the back seat, which seems to tilt down. Tim described the acceleration as prolapsing his sphincter. The Model Y absorbs bumps much better, finding a good median between sport and comfort. This new model has the same acceleration as our Model 3, 0 to 100km/h in 6s., one second faster than the previous Model Y. This is the RWD (rear wheel drive) model, standard range, not the AWD long range. We prefer the RWD because it has an LFP battery, which has no nickel or cobalt, and a longer life span. It’s also cheaper. But slower…
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A toasty stop at Lake Nillahcootie, heading home
Rest stop at Lake Nillahcootie, near Bonnie Doon. On our way back home from the Off-Grid Living Festival and Corowa, crossing back over the border into Victoria. To our pleasant surprise, coffee and toasties were on offer from the Kalari Kafe van in the car park by the lake. Unfortunately, the generators powering the van filled the area with noise and some fumes. Hopefully V2L EVs will soon become so common place and accessible that more food vans will be able to use them.
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Strolling the Off-Grid Living Festival, Chiltern
Strolling around the Off-Grid Living Festival today, in Chiltern, Victoria. Such a wide range of exhibitors. Excellent food options, but very little shade. Lots of dust, which destroyed the car wash we did a couple of days ago. Very thankful for a smoothie from the Barefoot Blender. Most of the site seems to be powered from solar, or from V2L EVs. Great to see. Less smelly and noisy generators. Even the security motorbikes are electric. Nice!
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Any power point becomes a charging station, in Corowa
Any power point is a charging station. We drove from eastern Melbourne, Victoria, north to just over the border in Corowa, NSW. We can walk down the road and see Victoria on the other side of the Murray River. We were in Queensland earlier this week 🤪. We’re staying at an Airbnb house for a couple of days, while we attend the Off-Grid Living Festival in Chiltern, tomorrow.
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Talking road trips at the Off-Grid Festival
Road tripping through Europe gave us a glimpse into the future of EVs and road trips in Australia. Border Regional Electrification Events invited us to talk about it in the Electrification Tent at the Off-Grid Living Festival, in Chiltern, Victoria (30 minutes from the NSW border). The audience asked some excellent questions. Thanks to all those who attended. Some of the slides from our talk, included here.
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XPeng G6 — second test drive
We took another test drive of an XPENG G6, this time from a new dealership in Berwick, Victoria, which is closer to us. Nice interior, comfy seats, great tech. The handling wasn’t bad on some windy roads, but not as sporty as the Tesla Model Y. Disappointing storage. The auto driving hesitated quite a bit around bends. The lack of full stop on one pedal driving is annoying, but they will reportedly solve that in a few weeks via an OTA (over the air) software update. The G6 includes auto parking and lane change, which costs extra in a Tesla. It has vehicle to load, but it requires some adapter plug into the external charge port, which wasn’t available. We had a chance to play with Apple CarPlay, which is great to have. But the XPeng doesn't seem to support pinch and zoom in Apple Maps, which makes it very limited. Acceleration was terrible (doesn’t move for a second), until I turned in “launch mode”. I couldn’t figure out how to enable launch mode and regenerative braking (x-pedal) at…
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Electric utes and trucks at Everything Electric Sydney
We spotted a few utes and trucks at the Everything Electric Show (Fully Charged Show), in Sydney. Some conversions, some plug in hybrid (PHEV), and one large battery swap unit for a semi, in just 3 minutes. We sat in the huge frunk of the F150 Lightning, made possible because no engine is needed. Some electric utes have been popular for mining operations, so as not to poison the air in the shafts, and to avoid the need to truck in fuel to remote sites. On the way out, we spotted a BYD Shark (PHEV) parked at a fast charger on the street. Frustratingly, they hadn’t plugged in. There were a couple of parking cops who were hopefully about to post an infringement notice. Chargers are for charging, not just parking 🤦♂️.
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Electric vans at Everything Electric Sydney
Checking out electric vans at Everything Electric (from Fully Charged Show), in Sydney.
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The Cybertruck, big and ridiculous, in Sydney
At The Everything Electric Show in Sydney (by the Fully Charged Show), checking out the Tesla Cybertruck. Impressive, but ridiculously big, like most oversized utes.
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Wrapping up Everything Electric Sydney, past a V8
The Everything Electric Show (Fully Charged Show) wrapped up in Sydney for another year, but will be back, for the first time, in Melbourne in November. In the car park, we walked past four guys standing around the open bonnet of a V8 ute, saying “we should have gone electric”. Very fitting end. Amber showed off her Tesla Tripping tote bag, as we said goodbye. 3000km done and 1000km to go. Car fully packed again, with the addition of four old computers we had left behind when we moved from the Central Coast, two years ago. One of the sharp iMacs showed its abandonment issues by cutting my bare foot. Next stop, for dinner, in Campbelltown. We shared a roast and dessert. Then on to Mittagong for tonight’s accommodation, booked at the last minute, as usual.
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Some classic conversions to electric, in Sydney
A few of the electric converted vehicles at The Everything Electric (Fully Charged Show) in Sydney.
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Electric motorbikes, including Savic, at Sydney
Just a few of the electric motorbikes at The Everything Electric Show (Fully Charged Show) in Sydney. Including locally built Savic Motorcycles.
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V2L in action: DJs, coffee machines and TVs
Portable power. A few V2L (vehicle to load) examples at The Everything Electric Show (Fully Charged Show). Including an EV DJ, coffee machine, large TV, and power tools. Most EVs now include V2L, so you can plug just about any household appliance into your car, and power it without running an engine, so no heat, exhaust and noise. Tesla, however, does not currently offer this feature, except on the Cybertruck. Very disappointing.
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The Deepal E07: hatch meets ute tray
Great to see some innovative new EV designs at Everything Electric (Fully Charged Show) in Sydney. This Deepal E07 has a hatch that’s kind of like a small ute tray. Full cabin plus a tray/boot. Opens electronically. You can even extend the tray length by folding down the rear seats (unlike the Cybertruck). Australian pricing and release expected at the next exhibition, I think in April.
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First look at the new Model Y 'Juniper'
Checking out the new 2025 Tesla Model Y “Juniper”. Easier for passengers to get in and out, compared to our lower Model 3. Love the ventilated seats. So much room in this thing, more than any other competitor vehicle, it seems. And the most efficient. I’ve added photos of Phil lying down in the back of another Tesla Model Y (not Juniper), on a Tesla mattress, to show how much space there is with the seats down Still no vehicle to load (V2L) or Apple Car Play, like most competitors have. At Everything Electric (Fully Charged Show), in Sydney.
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XPeng G6 — first look at the Everything Electric Show
The Xpeng G6 is a strong competition against the Tesla Model Y. We viewed both at The Everything Electric Show (Fully Charged Show) in Sydney. A few weeks earlier, we took a G6 for a test drive at the XPENG Port Melbourne showroom (also pictured). The Xpeng G6 and Tesla Model Y both have great tech, great efficiency, ventilated and heated front seats. The G6 doesn’t have frunk storage, has small subtrunk storage, smaller boot, no glovebox, but has a bit more rear passenger room and probably more comfy seats. It has Apple Maps and Vehicle to Load (V2L). It is $10k cheaper, but requires paid regular servicing and and has longer warranty. It includes auto lane change (extra purchase on the Tesla). The Tesla has faster acceleration, sportier handling, one pedal driving comes to a full stop without the brake, and has more fast charging options. It has a screen for rear passengers and powered rear seat folding. It has much more storage overall, including huge sub trunk, boot and frunk. It…
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Central Coast farewells, off to Everything Electric
Great memories, spending some time with family on the NSW Central Coast. Tomorrow: Off to Everything Electric (by Fully Charged Show), in Sydney.
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Thai and pizza at Erina Fair, again
A couple of visits to Erina Fair, while we’ve been staying nearby, this week. Pineapple fried rice at Thai Thyme. Teriyaki pizza at GPK. Tomorrow we’re off to the Fully Charged Everything Electric Show in Sydney.
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Hyundai Ioniq 5 test drive
Ioniq 5 test drive. Sporty handling and acceleration. Nice interior. More physical buttons than Tesla (which may be good or bad). Felt smaller on the inside. At slightly higher cost than a Tesla Model Y, it seemed to be less value.
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Hyundai Kona: a quick look
Continuing our look at EV options. The Hyundai Kona. Good price. Small. But they somehow manage to fit it a spare wheel. We didn’t test drive it.
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Past The Big Shovel, ending at Yack's Bottom Pub
We stopped by “The Big Shovel” as we left the Off-Grid Living Festival in Chiltern. Francis tried to make a friend out of a skittish young bull. We finished up back in Yack, this time at the ”Bottom Pub”, complete with appropriate (or inappropriate) photo.
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Slides from our EV road-tripping talk
Some of the slides from our presentation on EV road tripping at the Off-Grid Living Festival, in the Border Regional Electrification Events electrification tent.
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The vibe at the Off-Grid Living Festival
Great vibe at the Off-Grid Living Festival. Street musician and entertainers, cuddly animals, amazing artwork, lots of delicious food options. No disposable plates! Impressive.
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Marvin meets Husqvarna at the Off-Grid Festival
On our way out from the Off-Grid Living Festival, we checked out some of the displays in the Border Regional Electrification Events area. We had a chat with Paul about the Husqvana robot mower that was quietly cutting a patch of lawn next to us. All Seasons Garden Solutions: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091464130556 We chatted with Matt from Clenergy about a possible portable battery for camping, which can charge from the Tesla car’s 12V supply and from portable solar panels, to then use it for high power cooking such as induction stove tops. It pains me that this is needed because our Tesla doesn’t have vehicle to load (V2L) which could power the stove directly. Other EVs have this feature.
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EVs and conversions at the Off-Grid Festival
Many electric vehicles at the Off-Grid Living Festival this weekend, in the Border Regional Electrification Events area. New cars from Tesla, MG, Hyundai and others. Test drives on site. We spotted a few converted cars including a VW Beatle and a Mini. A Zero motorcycle. Dozens of electric mowers from small to huge. The place of huge!
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Catching the EV panel at the Off-Grid Festival
We arrived at Off-Grid Living Festival at about 2:30, to catch a few of the talks in the Border Regional Electrification Events electrification tent. We caught the tail end of a panel discussion of EV owners answering some audience questions, then Michael from the Electric Vehicle Council covering a range of issues. And finally an eye opening discussion on recycling measures in place for lithium batteries in Australia. The tent was appropriately powered by V2L (vehicle to load) from the MG EV parked next to it. We found our names in the presenters list for tomorrow! See you at noon.
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Battery-powered coffee at the Off-Grid Festival
Battery powered coffee at the Off-Grid Living Festival. No diesel generator noise or fumes. How’s the serenity!
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First stop, Marmalades in Yea, on the way to Chiltern
First stop, in Yea, on our way to the Off-Grid Living Festival. We stopped for lunch at Marmalades – delicious fritters and a cheese waffle dish, which was new for us.
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All modes of transport at Everything Electric Sydney
So many different modes of transport at Fully Charged Show’s Everything Electric, Sydney.
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Day two at Everything Electric Sydney
Our second day at Fully Charged Show’s Everything Electric Australia 2024. We checked out Tiny Solar Homes, Bosh Cooking, many vehicles (see previous post) and a few more panel discussions. I am particularly interested in Vehicle to Everything, but hampered until Tesla enables it on their cars, like BYD, Ionic, MG and others already have. I briefly ran into Chris Bowen MP (walking with Robert Llewellyn's and Dan Caesar). I asked him to stop subsidising fossil fuel companies. “One thing at a time, mate” was his response. I am very glad that he has finally brought in vehicle emissions standards and other positive steps. But stopping tax payer funding of fossil fuel companies, which are killing us, seems like a much bigger impact. No reason for us to wait to do that. The planet can’t wait, for sure. +1.5°C and still climbing 😢.
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Day-one wrap-up at Everything Electric Sydney
Wrapping up our first day at Fully Charged Show’s Everything Electric Sydney. Guest panelist for Evie Networks discussing better public charging. Attended several panel discussions in the Giga Theatre and Mega Theatre. Spotted a few solar race cars. I grilled the team at the Enphase Energy stand on how I can turn off my solar production remotely. No satisfactory answer yet, so I’ll be back to grill them tomorrow. We asked the fire warden how many EV fires have occurred here so far. He said “zero” in sign, in the photo. Unsurprising since there have only been six EV fires in Australia (ever), none of them while charging. Finished off laughing, watching Jack Scarlett and Imogen Bhogal, from Fully Charged Show, cooking Pad Thai on an induction stove. Hosted by Zoe Bingley-Pullin (previously hosted Good Chef, Bad Chef). Back again tomorrow.
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A vegan pie before the Evie panel
Arrived at Fully Charged Show’s Everything Electric Sydney, just in time for a vegan pie and a quick view of some of the exhibits. Have to eat quickly before we’re on the panel with Evie Networks to discuss how to improve EV charging.
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A Berry View Motel night, via Yackandandah and Yass
After a long drive from Bright, through Yackandandah and Yass, we arrived in Berry, checked into the Berry View Motel, then drove around the corner to the Berry Bowling Club for dinner. A ute parked adjacent to us in the motel car park illustrates that some vehicles are just too big for current car parking. We had to reverse in at an angle to avoid scraping along the ute’s towball. Next morning, we popped into the local IV Coffee outlet, appropriately adorned with ivy. Then onward to the Fully Charged Show Everything Electric expo in Sydney.
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Driving the Great Alpine Road
Today we drove along the Great Alpine Road from Bairnsdale in Gippsland Victoria, through Mount Hotham and various lookouts pointing at the highest places in Australia, including Mount Kosciusko. Unsurprisingly, The Great Alpine Road is the highest highway in Australia. Stunning scenery, on top of the world. We’re on our way to Fully Charged Show’s Everything Electric show in Sydney, and to catch up with family in NSW.
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A suspension-bridge walk in Tarra-Bulga
Setting of from Emerald Victoria to Fully Charged Show’s Everything Electric expo in Sydney NSW, we headed… in the other direction, south through Gippsland to Tarra-Bulga National Park, and a walk to the suspension bridge.
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Most mechanical I've been with the Tesla in 60,000 km
This is probably the most mechanical I’ve had to be with or Tesla in nearly 60,000km. Tomorrow we’re off on a road trip to Sydney, in part for the Fully Charged Show’s Everything Electric expo. In a recent rain downpour, our conversation went something like: Tom: The wipers aren’t very clear. Francis: Didn’t you order new wipers? Tom: Yeah, a few months ago. Francis: Oh yeah, I remember seeing it in the boot. Francis: Have you actually installed them? Tom: No. they’re still in the boot. Have been for about the last 20,000km, including our last trip to North Queensland. Francis: 🤦♀️ Anyway, now they’re installed. Pretty straightforward: 1. Order online via the Tesla app. 2. Receive package. 3. Place package in boot for a few months (optional). 4. Remind yourself each time it rains that you really must fix that smearing on the windscreen. 5. Finally, remove from boot and open box. 6. In the Tesla, in the `Service` menu, press `Wiper Service Mode`. The wipers move up to be accessible.…
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First delivery to the new home
Our first delivery to our new house – a congrats savoury box from The Hamper Emporium from Mortgage Choice in Tumbi Umbi. Thank you John and Amanda. What a nice surprise 😋 . John sorted out the loan for our previous house in Saratoga NSW, and now this one in Emerald Victoria. It’s been a long road, figuratively and literally. We packed up and left our old home on December 1 last year. We’ve been road tripping most of the time since then, and hope to finally move into our new home in a couple of weeks. We didn’t intend to take that long to find a new house. Our “pre approved” home loan with ING turned out to require additional financial info, which was difficult to do while we were on the road. I recall voicing our frustrations over the phone while driving through some country road out the back of nowhere. In any case, that pre approval expired after six months and banks started limiting new pre approvals to just three months. I’m not sure how they expected buyers to find a home in…
Formerly: Tesla Tripping
Come along on our EV road trips around Australia and Europe, and follow as we progressively electrify our home in Emerald, Victoria.
Join us on the road. We set off in late 2022 and drove eastern Australia in our Tesla Model 3 — Sydney, Dubbo, Armidale, Brisbane, Cape Tribulation, then down through Queensland and back. We've since upgraded to a Model Y.
We've kept exploring — Uluru, the Snowy Mountains and Gippsland, and a longer run through Europe in 2024. There's plenty more on the map, so come along for the next leg.
At home in Emerald, in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges, we're progressively electrifying everything: rooftop solar, a home battery, a hot water heat pump, air conditioned heating and cooling, and EV charging straight from the sun. We're going fully electric, off the gas.
Got questions, or insights of your own? We'd love to hear them — please drop a comment on any post.