Total distance was “over 20,000km” - for international comparison:
- 20000 kilometers = 12427.4 miles
- A contiguous US (without Alaska or Hawaii) perimeter roadtrip is slightly less at ~12,225 miles
- Driving from the westernmost point of Europe in Portugal to the easternmost point in Russia is about 10,000 km
Intro excerpt:
We set off from Adelaide in winter with a roof pod on our BYD Dolphin, tents, an induction hotplate, and an assortment of charging cables.
Charging experience excerpts:
From keys on wooden spoons to unlock the charger in Cocklebiddy to solar arrays powering EV chargers during the day, the charging is as varied as the experiences at each Roadhouse.
On the remote stretch of road from Derby to Kununurra, as we approached Fitzroy Crossing, twin plumes of bushfire black smoke covered the sky and initial impressions were not very welcoming. Most charging stations were vandalised here, but did still work.
The most challenging part of our journey was through the Northern Territory. There are distances between fast chargers longer than our car’s highway range. After testing out the car in the 130 km/hr speed zone we committed to slowing down and taking in the scenery, camping at Victoria River and charging overnight from the 15A plug.
NSW took the prize as the state which required the most charging apps installed on our phones, which goes to show the proliferation of EV charging providers.
I’m in a Dolphin Essential and it’s a great little car
Especially for the price. It’s not perfect, but it has been really good value for money. I charge at home off my solar when I am producing extra juice, or at work, so my running costs are basically free!
Nice! Sounds like a fun expeditioni! We’ve been doing shorter trips in our EV, less than 500km. I like that you mentioned your induction cooktop, as we got one as well for this purpose, tho’ it gets a lot of use at home. It’s nice to find new places to camp, new views to enjoy. Cheers!
Apps required to charge a vehicle… yeah fuck that noise.
It is a PITA. Why the government didn’t insist on a credit / debit card as a default is bemusing.
On the other hand, it is nice though to be away from the car for some time and check on the app to see how the charging is going then wander back as it gets closer to full. Nearly all of them support linking to an RFID card mutiple apps linked to the one RFID card, so you can just swipe that to start charging and be on your way.
Idle fees are often charged, so you need an app to let you know when you’re getting close to full.
They’re required only for the for-profit stations, not the vehicle itself.
Many of the chargers that are at petrol stations and shopping centres in Australia are on a paid “network”. Instead of something simple and universal like credit cards, many of them require you to use their "network"s app to book the station, unlock it when you get there and pay for usage.
Around Victoria at least there are plenty of free ones around, some are hooked up to dedicated solar and batteries.
