The following is a discussion with Aussie electric vehicle (EV) driver Steve Boromand, who drives a Kia EV6 GT-Line for work (we should all be so lucky!).
Steve works for Gemtek, one of the pioneers in Australia’s eMobility sector, which has been providing turn-key energy management and electric vehicle solutions to clients in the last 15 years.
I met Steve at a recent NRMA EV Drive Day at Eastern Creek in Sydney.
You can see the Gemtek owned blue Kia EV6 GT-Line this weekend July 15-16 at the NRMA Wollongong EV Drive Day (University of Wollongong Northfields Avenue, Building 29, Wollongong NSW 2522).
EDITOR: I’m going to publish a regular series of articles with the views of Australian EV owners about their purchase, driving, servicing, charging etc experience.
This will help fill an information gap as the majority of electric car news articles are about new car launches and there’s relatively little published about the longer term Australian ownership experience after you’ve paid for your electric car. Hopefully this shared information helps other Aussies make their own EV purchase decision.
Please describe your purchasing / lease process experience … Easy, Mediocre, Frustrating..?
Company waited for about a year.
What has the regular servicing / dealership experience been like?
Not serviced yet.
How do you regularly charge your car for day to day usage?
I plug in to specially installed faster EV charger at work or plug into public DC charger.
What has your day to day normal charging experience been like?
Very easy and convenient, usually plug in on arrival at the office for a few hours a day.
How do you charge your car for longer road trips on the weekend or during holidays? Do you prefer any particular brand of public fast charger during road trips eg Evie, Tesla, Chargefox and why?
DC Charge via Chargefox, I have company RFID Card.
What’s the farthest road trip you’ve done in your EV and what did you learn from this experience that would be useful for others to know?
Down to Bega and the DC charger was out of service. Had to stay at the hotel and charge overnight using AC Charger.
EDITOR: Always keep a 10amp charging cable in your EV boot and I also suggest storing a Type 2 cable as well, read why at Electric Car Accessory: worth buying a Type 2 to Type 2 Cable for Public AC Charging?
Does your EV have any special features like V2L reverse charging from the car to your portable/home appliances? If yes please share your experience using this special feature
Yes it does but haven’t tried yet.
If you have roadside assist included with the car purchase/lease and have had to use it, which company provided the service and what was that experience like?
Do have NRMA but never had to use it.
If you have had issues with your car and asked for these to be fixed under warranty, did the car brand do the right thing and fix it without causing you stress?
Luckily haven’t had issues.
What are the 3 strongest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
Very spacious inside, great technology such as drivers assistance. Can DC charge really fast at 350kW locations which helps for longer road trips.
What are the 3 weakest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
Boot space is good but not great, Apple Play is wired, boot door hits you in the head before it stops when closing so move away!!
Would you buy or lease this brand of electric car again and recommend it to others?
Yes definitely.
Do you have any other comments about your electric car brand, experience etc?
It’s a great car and I highly recommend it.
If you’re an Australian electric vehicle owner and would like to participate in this interview series by sharing your experience please contact me directly or add a comment below and let me know.
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