Battery electric cars (or BEVs, as most of us call them here in the workshop) are quite different under the bonnet than your classic Corolla or Hilux. Instead of an engine making a racket, there’s a big battery pack (think of it as a giant, flat phone battery) that stores all your energy. That battery powers an electric motor, and that turns the wheels – pretty simple, really. When your battery runs out, you just plug it in at home, work, or one of those fast chargers popping up at the Base, Dinsdale, or even out in Cambridge these days. No petrol or diesel, just straight-up electric. That’s why you’ll hear us and the fancy mags call these “pure electric” cars.
Do electric cars even make any emissions?
One of the best things: BEVs don’t have an exhaust pipe. So, no fumes chugging out while you’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Te Rapa Road or sitting at those endless Claudelands lights. The car itself’s dead quiet and clean. Now, the clever folks at the Union of Concerned Scientists point out that making electricity can cause pollution, especially if it comes from coal or gas. But, even on our “dirtiest coal-dominated grid,” your BEV will put out less pollution than a petrol Mazda Demio stuck on State Highway 3. And here in NZ, we’re pretty lucky – about 80% of our electricity is renewable (hydro, wind, solar and all that), so most of the charge powering your BYD Atto3 or a Tesla Model 3 is about as clean as you’ll get. Charging off the panels on your roof in Tamahere or Matangi? Even better.
How do electric and hybrid cars keep themselves going?
Here’s a bit of magic you see in BEVs as well as hybrids: regenerative braking. If you’re used to crawling along Ulster Street or dodging potholes around Rototuna, you’re always on the brakes. With a BEV or something like a Nissan Leaf e+, when you slow down, the car doesn’t just waste all that energy as heat. It turns the movement back into electricity and pushes that into your battery. That’s why BEVs and hybrids are so good at city driving – all those stop-starts actually help top up the battery a bit.
Plus, with no stalling at the lights, and an electric motor that’s much simpler than an engine in a Suzuki Swift or a Peugeot e-208, there’s less that’ll go bang or cause you grief. Even on chilly Hamilton mornings when you’re dealing with fog or those scorcher afternoons doing a school run out toward Ngāruawāhia, BEVs just get on with it.
Charging – not as hard as you might think
Back in the day, finding a plug for your EV was like trying to find a lost socket in the glovebox. Now, there’s public charging all over – Huntly, Cambridge, Chartwell, plus at-home wall chargers that let you wake up fully juiced every day. No more desperate petrol dashes when you’re late for footy practice in Melville. Just plug in at night and you’re sorted. Easy as.
Hamilton’s go-to for EV and hybrid repairs
At Grimmer Motors, we see plenty of electric cars coming in off the streets of Morrinsville, Ohaupo, and all around Hamilton. Our technicians are always upskilling on the latest tech, whether it’s a Hyundai Ioniq, MG ZS EV, or something rarer like a Citroen e-C4. We’ve got our own scanning gear to find faults quick – covers just about everything from high-voltage batteries to that annoying dash warning you can’t quite figure out. Electric or hybrid, petrol or diesel, we can help you out. Keen for a yarn or need a bit of car service Hamilton locals trust? We’re here when you need us.