Drop it like it’s hot

BYD has caused a bit of a stir in Australia, announcing the country’s first sub $30k new electric vehicle. 

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Some features have been removed from the brand’s Dolphin and Atto 3 models to bring the prices down for its essentials range, and a new Government-backed finance scheme is making it even easier for the Aussies to buy cleaner, cheaper vehicles with low-interest loans (something we’re working on in New Zealand).  

2024 saw record EV sales in Australia, clocking in at around 10% of all new cars purchased. For comparison, New Zealand’s EV sales in December made up 12% of the total, while Norway clocked in at around 90% last year and the UK was around 30%.

Not everyone can afford new cars, of course, but these sales are a positive sign for the second-hand market. Buying a cheaper second hand makes the economic equation of EVs even better because the upfront costs are reduced and it always pays to remember that charging at home with solar equates to around 30c per litre when using a petrol price equivalent.  

For those who want more features, rather than fewer, BYD has also come up with a new pothole/roadspike/coloured chalk jumping feature for its new high-end sports car. No word on whether it will be available as kangaroo mode when it launches in Australia. 

An electric atmosphere

Kia has clearly signalled where it’s heading by handing over the keys to a fleet of 130 cars as part of its long-running Australian Open sponsorship. 

“This is the first year all AO tournament vehicles are electrified –all-electric or hybrid-electric. The vehicles will provide players, match officials, and VIPs with eco-friendly transport around Melbourne throughout the AO," says a release.

This is part of the brand’s quest to become a ‘sustainable mobility provider’ and hopefully getting Rafa in an electric car for a surfing mission should convince a few more fans to upgrade.

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Here in New Zealand, Mike Casey has been using the family EV9 in a way Kia probably never intended: to tow trailers full of cherries to the packhouse. 

Farming electricity

We’re all about the win-wins at Rewiring and combining solar panels and agriculture on the same land rather than choosing one or the other is a great example of having your cake and eating it too. 

There’s plenty of research going on to show what’s possible with this combo and Massey University announced the results of a pilot study on pasture growth in Taranaki last year. 

“This research showed that pasture growth was reduced by 84 per cent beneath solar panels, but increased by 38 per cent between panels. Researchers are now trying to understand the causes behind the reduced growth. Solar panels can significantly reduce the amount of sunlight reaching pasture plants beneath panels, but it was clear from the pilot research that they may also provide beneficial effects for pasture growing between panels in some regions or seasons.”

Researchers are now continuing to work with a mock solar array and using light loggers to detect radiation.

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There are already a number of examples of sheep happily grazing underneath panels, and cows grazing under panels with higher frames. Some horticultural efforts also look promising, with Lincoln University’s Energy Farm planting berries and vegetables between the rows of panels and looking at the microclimate underneath for certain crops that may benefit from the shade. 

This BBC story shows how Italian farmers were able to save an ancient crop with the help of solar panels, something that may become more necessary as the climate changes. 

“The citron of Calabria in southern Italy had almost died out from extreme weather and lack of economic value. But growing the crop under a canopy of solar panels has given the fruit a new lease of life – with lessons for many climate-stressed crops.”

Ups and downs

When you buy a petrol or diesel car or a gas appliance for the home, you’re basically locking yourself into an unpredictable fuel subscription over the lifetime of the machine and the price of that subscription moves in mysterious ways (although mostly upwards), as Punters Politics explains.

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