EVs – or Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) – are solely electric vehicles. This means that you plug it into a charger, and it uses only available battery power to drive.

Plug-in-hybrid vehicles – or PHEVs – have petrol motor and electric motor components; a halfway point between fuel-powered cars and electric cars if you like. You need to charge the batteries for the electric motor component. However, their electric-only driving range is generally short – between 40 to 100 kilometers. From there it will switch over to the motor and conventional fuel.

The other type of hybrid is the more traditional non-plug-in hybrid (HEV). These have been in the market for around 20 years since the launch of the Toyota Prius. HEVs run on both an internal combustion engine and a battery, but the difference is you cannot charge HEVS; they use energy stored in the battery from what is called ‘regenerative braking’.

Both provide advantages. A PHEV might suit someone who lives inner city, where trips are commonly short in duration and distance, so that the vehicle can mainly use the electric power it has without needing to significantly access the motor.

The benefit continues for longer trips away, where charging infrastructure may not be as readily available, and the vehicle is able to rely solely on its engine.

An electric vehicle doesn’t require fuel and because it has fewer moving parts to service (including no engine or transmission), it should generally be cheaper to operate overall. However, you need to charge the battery at regular intervals, so some pre-planning will be needed for longer trips.

It depends on the number of kilometres driven, but the main way you could save is in relative fuel costs versus electricity costs. You could pay more than one-third less on electricity compared to fuel costs for the same car with the same number of kilometres travelled. Over the vehicle’s life, servicing costs will likely be less for an electric vehicle given the absence of regular car parts including engine, transmission, head gasket, filters and spark plugs.

Most new EV sales include an entry level charger which simply connects to a normal electricity power outlet that you would have at home, with faster, more advanced chargers available for an optional cost – expect to pay somewhere in the vicinity of $2,000 to $3,000. These units – which cannot be packaged as part of a novated lease - charge much faster and provide other benefits in terms of monitoring and re-charging your vehicle.

There are also many public charging solutions available. The Electric Vehicle Council of Australia website lists all the charging stations around Australia, the type of chargers – from entry level to DC Superchargers – and leading charging infrastructure providers.

Many of Australia’s most popular car brands produce EVs now, including Tesla, MG, Nissan, Hyundai, BMW, Mini, Mercedes, Jaguar, Volvo, Land Rover and Porsche. Other brands also plan to bring many more EVs to Australia in the near future.

EVs from many of Australia’s most popular manufacturers are available. This page, from the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia, lists them all:

To discover Maxxia’s range of EVs: Click here

All industry predictions indicate that this is likely to happen – particularly given the range of new, well-optioned and range-capable models introduced to the market recently.

As technology changes and more EVs hit the market, charging times are decreasing significantly. Entry-level chargers supplied with EVs can take up to 30 hours to full charge a vehicle; this timeframe reduces to overnight with higher capacity chargers. We recommend talking with your dealer on the estimated charging time, to consider if a higher capacity charger at extra cost is a worthwhile investment

Public or roadside chargers can be much faster – often providing 120km of charge capacity within 45 minutes depending on what vehicle you have. These can be convenient for leaving to charge while you have an appointment, shopping or work to attend to.

 Super-charge stations – dotted across the populous parts of Australia – can add up to 300 kilometres of range in just 10 to 15 minutes.

With recent technology advancements, most modern EVs can drive for 500 or more kilometres on a single charge. If you’re only doing short trips, you can probably go without charging for a week or more, but long trips require a full charge before setting off, and pre-planning on where to top up next. It’s worth also noting that some EVs offer extended range battery capacity options; we recommend you chat with your dealer about their availability.

With normal driving conditions, most EV batteries should be able to last up to 10 years before they need to be replaced.

There are numerous studies that show that fires in EVs are no more likely to occur than fires in Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs). Australian fire and rescue organisations do not treat EVs as any more dangerous than ICEVs. All vehicles sold new in Australia, including EVs, must adhere to strict Australian Vehicle Standards Rules.

Yes, however EVs that have the ability to tow are limited by both model type and towing capability. We anticipate this to evolve over time as EV technology improves. In the meantime, we recommend discussing any towing requirements you may have with your Maxxia consultant or dealer before committing to a novated lease on the vehicle.

We recommend you visit the website of the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia; they are the national body that represents the electric vehicle industry in Australia. The Australian Government’s Green Vehicle website also has valuable information on the environmental performance of light vehicles sold in Australia. And, of course, we are here to help answer any of your questions.

An electric car requires servicing at the same intervals as any car. While an EV has less moving parts than a regular petrol vehicle, many of the servicing elements remain the same – such as tyre wear and tear, brake fluid changes, suspension and general safety checks. When it comes to support at service time, Maxxia’s experienced Maintenance Team can help ensure the work and associated costs are fair and reasonable.

Yes, you can salary package electricity costs within your EV lease. You must be able to demonstrate specifically how much energy – and the cost of the energy – is going towards charging your EV. This can be either obtained through a separate smart meter installed in your home, or by purchasing a fast, in-home charger with the metering included within it.

While FBT legislation does not yet allow the cost of a third-party supplier charger to be covered by a novated lease, if a new EV is purchased and the charger is included within the vehicle cost then yes, that cost can be packaged.

Some public chargers are free for use; these are generally located at shopping centres. Others will charge you for electricity provided via a credit card. Keep the receipts from these stations to claim through your MyCar Account.

Yes, there are a few. Firstly, you need to consider the average range you want to drive in your vehicle. Many EVs have options to pay for higher range capacity battery packs, meaning the vehicle can drive further. This, however, means charging can take longer. A vehicle’s range depends on the type of driving conditions, and whether you continuously use the heater or air conditioner. You should assess if the EV you are interested in acquiring through a novated lease has higher cost options to extend the vehicle’s range.

Additionally, you may need to consider a faster charger if you’re time pressed. These can cost as much as $3,000, including installation costs, but with a considerably quicker charge time. 

Maxxia can provide insurance on all makes and models of EVs other than Tesla. You can also arrange your own insurance, although please bear in mind that not all insurance providers will cover electric vehicles.

As there are few moving parts to an EV, the likelihood of a breakdown is less likely – unless you run out of power, of course. In the event this happens, you can simply call our roadside assistance service as you would do with a petrol vehicle. Alternatively, plug it into the nearest power point.

It’s worth noting, too, that some roadside assistance companies are updating their roadside service to provide a 20- to 30-minute top-up charge to get the car to the nearest charge station.