Electric cars?

[JohnDe]

I've been watching the company for a while now, it has definitely grown and always seems to have a lot of interest from users and renters. However, with established competition form car rental companies I wonder how Evee will be able to be profitable for shareholders. Then again, EVs are taking the world by storm.

Lee Torrens, an advisor to Canva and one of its first employees, is one of Evee’s top investors. “I didn’t invest in the early days of the internet nor did I invest in the early days of smartphones,” he said.​

“So I don’t want to miss the opportunity of investing in the early days of electric cars. I like Evee because it’s building a solid foundation to dominate the crowd rental portion of the EV market transformation.”​

Canva advisor backs e-car share start-up Evee to expand to US, UK

High-profile Canva advisor Lee Torrens has backed Australian electric car sharing platform Evee, as it kicks off a fundraising round to fuel an international expansion across the UK and Europe.

Evee this week launched a crowd-funding raise on equity crowd-funding platform Birchal, hitting its minimum target of $300,000 in two hours, and is raising a maximum of $1.6m in a bid to roll out its platform globally.

The platform, which has racked up around 8000 customers since its launch and has grown 100 per cent year-on-year for the past three years, is the nations only rental platform offering just electric vehicles.

Founder and chief executive Slava Kozlovskii said that his customers earn up to $2000 per month by renting out their electric vehicle to travellers and people who are dipping their toe in the EV market for the first time.

“We are blown away by the support thrown behind our company,“ Mr Kozlovskii said.

“I’ve been looking at the names of our top investors and they are a mix of people we know who own an electric car, or customers who regularly use our platform to hire EVs. We also have a lot of people who have held notable positions in companies such as Canva and Atlassian – so it is really exciting to have people with connections to the high-profile tech industry throwing their full support behind us.”

The executive added that renters often use Evee as part of their first steps towards buying their own electric car.

“Often they don’t know whether it’s right for them, or don’t know which car is perfectly suited to them,” he said.

“They love asking lots of questions and our host owners are happy to answer them. All the latest model electric cars you can buy in Australia are available to rent on our platform – Tesla, Polestar, BYD, Kia, Mercedes, MG and more.

“If you go to Tesla, you’re only given a 20-minute test drive and that never gives you a full understanding of how great these vehicles are.

“Nothing beats taking that baby out for a whole weekend, and really experiencing the joys of owning an electric car. Evee allows you to do that … You can experience charging your car at a supercharging station, at home and so much more than you can ever experience in a 20-minute test drive.”

As The Australian recently reported Australia is on the brink of a “perfect storm” of mass electric-vehicle uptake, with a combination of predicted new government policy, a flood of new and more affordable products, and a cohesive national framework of subsidies and rebates all combining to supercharge EV growth in 2023.

Financial documents filed with crowd-funding platform Birchal show the company most recently posted a net loss after tax of $276,000 for the 2022 financial year, from a $16,000 profit a year earlier. It has a $9m valuation.

Lee Torrens, an advisor to Canva and one of its first employees, is one of Evee’s top investors. “I didn’t invest in the early days of the internet nor did I invest in the early days of smartphones,” he said.

“So I don’t want to miss the opportunity of investing in the early days of electric cars. I like Evee because it’s building a solid foundation to dominate the crowd rental portion of the EV market transformation.”

Mr Kozlovskii said that while other car share platforms also rent electric cars, these companies still provide mostly petrol-consuming rides. Evee is in pole position to ride the wave of EV ownership in Australia, which doubled between 2021 and 2022, he said.

“The car rental market in Australia is worth $2bn annually with electric vehicles being the fastest growing niche. Through the trust we have built we are able to capitalise on every step of a customer’s EV journey.

“Our Birchal equity crowd-funding raise will help us expand the business, on-board more vehicles and deliver an unforgettable customer experience. Evee is poised to become a full-service offering for the EV inclined and we want anyone who is passionate about this space to share in our good fortunes by becoming part-owners in our business.”

DAVID SWAN TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

 

[JohnDe]

Australia has not only the minerals and resources for the upcoming EV boom, but also the development know-how and ability.

Aussie autonomous vehicle developer Applied EV lands Suzuki backing, partnership

An Australian vehicle software company has scored its second investment from Suzuki as well as a commitment from the Japanese car manufacturer to co-develop a new autonomous vehicle.

Applied EV announced the new partnership on Thursday afternoon which included a commitment from the multinational car manufacturer to co-develop the sixth generation of its autonomous vehicle Blanc Robot.

The start-up was founded in 2015 and has developed 25 autonomous vehicles to date, 80 per cent of which have been leased by overseas companies.

Its most recent model, the fifth generation, was developed in 2018 and made available from 2019.

Chief executive Julian Broadbent told The Australian the new partnership would allow Applied EV to focus on developing its software.

“We’ve built the vehicles to be fairly sophisticated machines in every aspect. And as we’ve seen the ability to move to more dependency on software, we’re seeing opportunities to take costs out of the platform by using readily available components that can be upgraded and modified to run on software,” he said.

The ability to utilise automotive supply would help the company to deliver more cost-effective autonomous vehicles, Mr Broadbent said.

Suzuki’s first investment in the company was made in September last year, when it led a funding round of $21m. The valuation was then $170m.

The latest investment, which has arrived via Suzuki Global Ventures, has since brought its valuation to $190m, however the company would not disclose the most recent funding amount.

Mr Broadbent said autonomous vehicle developers were still refining the ability of vehicles which drive on software to stay on a path.

“One of the things our engineers spend a lot of time doing is making the vehicle follow a path really accurately,” he said.

“The computers for the autonomous system are actually very needy and it can really affect the range of the vehicles so we spend a lot of time really making sure the vehicle does what the autonomous system is asking it to do.”

JOSEPH LAM REPORTER

 

[JohnDe]

In 39 years of driving, I have never run out of fuel though I have been a passenger of others that have. These videos are a bit of fun but also a source of info for times when the unexpected happen, like getting lost in the country and trying to find a charger.

We’ve got our hands on six of the latest all-electric SUVs to hit the market, and we’re about to see just how accurate the manufacturer’s claimed ranges are! The cars we’ve got for this line-up are: ​

​

- Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback​

- Genesis GV60​

- Mercedes EQA​

- Nissan Ariya​

- Tesla Model Y​

- Volkswagen ID Buzz​

 

[JohnDe]

For those worried about safety in vehicles with large battery packs, watch the video.

Engineered with an all-electric architecture, Tesla vehicles provide a very low probability of rollover risk and occupant injury. Lars Moravy, VP of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, explains why.​

 

[Macquack]

Just had my first drive of an electric vehicle, a Tesla model 3 - base model.

Absolutely surprised by the sheer acceleration. I have a Mazda Rx7 twin turbo rotary which was a rocket ship of its day. The Mazda Rx7 won the Bathurst 12 Hour race outright four years in a row (1992-1995). I reckon the Tesla had better acceleration which kind of pissed me off. My collector's item has become obsolete at the hands of a base model electric vehicle. Time to think about off-loading the Mazda while values are still artificially high.

 

[mullokintyre]

Just had my first drive of an electric vehicle, a Tesla model 3 - base model.

Absolutely surprised by the sheer acceleration. I have a Mazda Rx7 twin turbo rotary which was a rocket ship of its day. The Mazda Rx7 won the Bathurst 12 Hour race outright four years in a row (1992-1995). I reckon the Tesla had better acceleration which kind of pissed me off. My collector's item has become obsolete at the hands of a base model electric vehicle. Time to think about off-loading the Mazda while values are still artificially high.

Don't be too hard on the old girl, it was light years ahead of its time when released, and 1992 was 30 years ago!

Mick

 

[mullokintyre]

I know there are a few ASF members who are the proud owners of a Porsche 911 , and now , thanks to a UK company, you can buy a kit to onvert it to an EV.
From The driven

UK electric vehicle conversion company Electrogenic has just released a drop-in EV conversion kit for the Porsche 911.
Called the E62 kit, it is designed to slot neatly into the existing architecture of the vehicle.
Because of this, the kit makes the electric conversion process entirely reversible – which should mollify those purists who object to EV conversions on the basis that converting a classic car destroys its originality.
With the ability to slot the original internal combustion engine (ICE) and associated components straight back in, owners of classic cars can now simply retain the ICE componentry after an electric conversion and hand these parts on to any future owner – offering the ability to return the car to its original propulsion form should a future owner wish to do so.

Mick

 

[JohnDe]

Just had my first drive of an electric vehicle, a Tesla model 3 - base model.

Absolutely surprised by the sheer acceleration. I have a Mazda Rx7 twin turbo rotary which was a rocket ship of its day. The Mazda Rx7 won the Bathurst 12 Hour race outright four years in a row (1992-1995). I reckon the Tesla had better acceleration which kind of pissed me off. My collector's item has become obsolete at the hands of a base model electric vehicle. Time to think about off-loading the Mazda while values are still artificially high.

Wait till you test drive the Long Range and Performance models.

I have the M3 LR, my wife has her drive settings set to Chill (limits acceleration for a smooth and gentle ride) but it still accelerates like crazy.

M3 LR
Top Speed: 233km/h
0-100 km/h: 4.4s

M3 P
Top Speed: 261km/h
0-100 km/h: 3.3s

Design Your Model 3 | Tesla

Design and order your Tesla Model 3, the car of the future. Learn about lease, loan and cash payment options, warranties, electric vehicle incentives, gasoline savings and more.

www.tesla.com

 

[IFocus]

Just had my first drive of an electric vehicle, a Tesla model 3 - base model.

Absolutely surprised by the sheer acceleration. I have a Mazda Rx7 twin turbo rotary which was a rocket ship of its day. The Mazda Rx7 won the Bathurst 12 Hour race outright four years in a row (1992-1995). I reckon the Tesla had better acceleration which kind of pissed me off. My collector's item has become obsolete at the hands of a base model electric vehicle. Time to think about off-loading the Mazda while values are still artificially high.

Next door has a model or two up took me for a spin... took the wrinkles out of my face on acceleration impressive.


The Mazda still a great car IMHO

 

[mullokintyre]

The ubiquitous Walmart of the US has announced that it will install EV chargers in all of its car parks.
From Walmart coporate

As our customers and members continue to look for ways to save money and live better, I am excited to announce our plans at Walmart and Sam’s Club in the U.S. to make electric vehicle (EV) ownership more accessible, reliable, convenient and affordable for them across the country. By 2030, we intend to build our own EV fast-charging network at thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations coast-to-coast. This would be in addition to the almost 1,300 EV fast-charging stations we already have available at more than 280 U.S. facilities.

With a store or club located within 10 miles of approximately 90% of Americans, we are uniquely positioned to deliver a convenient charging option that will help make EV ownership possible whether people live in rural, suburban or urban areas. Our goal is to meet the needs of customers and members where they live and open the road to those driving across the country. Easy access to on-the-go charging is a game-changer for drivers who have been hesitant to purchase an EV for concerns they won’t be able to find a charger in a clean, bright and safe location when needed.

It already has around 1300 fast charging stations in some 280 of its stores, so with over 5,000 stores in the US, that should transalte to a lot more EV charging stations. During a previous trip to the US driving around in a rental RV, we stayed overnight in a few Walmart store car parks, as they were relatively safe and parking room for a largish RV never an issue.
Wonder if all the coles sand or woolies stores would do the same thing in OZ?
Mick

 

[Value Collector]

The ubiquitous Walmart of the US has announced that it will install EV chargers in all of its car parks.
From Walmart coporate

It already has around 1300 fast charging stations in some 280 of its stores, so with over 5,000 stores in the US, that should transalte to a lot more EV charging stations. During a previous trip to the US driving around in a rental RV, we stayed overnight in a few Walmart store car parks, as they were relatively safe and parking room for a largish RV never an issue.
Wonder if all the coles sand or woolies stores would do the same thing in OZ?
Mick

A Woolies near me has 4 chargers, charge fox but wrapped in Woolies colours, it’s free to use, but limited to 4kwh. But so far I haven’t used it because every time I try I can’t get the thing working.

The charge fox app is frustrating, so much easier to just pull up at a Tesla charger and plug in.

 

[Smurf1976]

A Woolies near me has 4 chargers, charge fox but wrapped in Woolies colours, it’s free to use, but limited to 4kwh. But so far I haven’t used it because every time I try I can’t get the thing working.

The charge fox app is frustrating, so much easier to just pull up at a Tesla charger and plug in.

If it's free then why on earth does it need an app?

 

[JohnDe]

If it's free then why on earth does it need an app?

Good question.

I’m staying at a hotel which has Charge Hub stations, I plugged in & it started flashing an icon to connect with an app, which I ignored and walked away because I couldn’t be bothered. Later I checked & it was charging my Tesla.

The following day I decided to download the app to check it out but it wanted my credit card details, which I didn’t give. The chargers wouldn’t charge anymore. Went for a drive to check out the area, came back and plugged in the charger from the next park & a free charge again. I reckon that as a paying hotel guest the charge is free (should be at the highway robbery price for a room) but the charge station owners are double dipping.

 

[Value Collector]

If it's free then why on earth does it need an app?

Beats me, but even though it’s free you still need to sign up to charge fox, and go through the process of finding the charger on their system, pick which outlet you are going to use, and then go through a few steps before it begins charging.

Or as happened the last couple of times I tried it just fails to begin charging at all.

The potential saving of 20 cents electricity for the 30mins on would be at Woolies isn’t worth the effort of even trying.

 

[Smurf1976]

Beats me, but even though it’s free you still need to sign up to charge fox, and go through the process of finding the charger on their system, pick which outlet you are going to use, and then go through a few steps before it begins charging.

I'm keen on technical things where a purpose is served but one of my pet hates is tech for the sake of it.

It's a charger and it's free. The idea that using it even requires owning a smartphone in the first place is just silly and totally unnecessary.

 

[mullokintyre]

I'm keen on technical things where a purpose is served but one of my pet hates is tech for the sake of it.

It's a charger and it's free. The idea that using it even requires owning a smartphone in the first place is just silly and totally unnecessary.

probably because they don't plan it to be always free.
Motels and other [places do not provide any diesel or petrol at all, much less at a free rate.
Some time in the future, when the majority of cars are EV's, there will be no such thing as free charge.
Its just the way economics work.
Mick

 

[JohnDe]

probably because they don't plan it to be always free.
Motels and other [places do not provide any diesel or petrol at all, much less at a free rate.
Some time in the future, when the majority of cars are EV's, there will be no such thing as free charge.
Its just the way economics work.
Mick

I remember when motels and other places did give free petrol, it was usually on the back of a receipt or invoice, something like ‘6 cents off of your next fuel bill at United petrol’.

 

[Value Collector]

probably because they don't plan it to be always free.
Motels and other [places do not provide any diesel or petrol at all, much less at a free rate.
Some time in the future, when the majority of cars are EV's, there will be no such thing as free charge.
Its just the way economics work.
Mick

I think the businesses that are offering free charging are using it to generate business, the cost of supplying free charging to a hotel guest is about $10 or less, that is cheaper than the commission the online advertisers like booking.com etc charge.

So if having a charger fills your rooms and generates more repeat customers it’s just good business sense, a bit like some hotels offer free breakfast or laundry service or airport transfers etc.

 

[sptrawler]

Just had my first drive of an electric vehicle, a Tesla model 3 - base model.

Absolutely surprised by the sheer acceleration. I have a Mazda Rx7 twin turbo rotary which was a rocket ship of its day. The Mazda Rx7 won the Bathurst 12 Hour race outright four years in a row (1992-1995). I reckon the Tesla had better acceleration which kind of pissed me off. My collector's item has become obsolete at the hands of a base model electric vehicle. Time to think about off-loading the Mazda while values are still artificially high.

I think you are spot on, my son offloaded his RX2 coupe for exactly the same reason, also cars for a cause are raffling collectable cars at a hell of a rate these days.

 

[sptrawler]

I'm keen on technical things where a purpose is served but one of my pet hates is tech for the sake of it.

It's a charger and it's free. The idea that using it even requires owning a smartphone in the first place is just silly and totally unnecessary.

The only good aspect is those who are charging can remotely see how much charge has been put into the car and thus move their car when it is enough, that is if people had some manners, which many dont.
The other thing is you can look up the charger you want to use and see if is available or in use, or damaged.
The biggest problem is people leaving their cars in the bays when they are finished, or ICE cars parked in them, you think they are available, but when you get there someone has blocked it.
Apparentlu some Syates are going to introduce fines.
There is an old woman parks in one I use, sha has an acrod sticker, I bumped into her one day and said it makes it difficult for people, she told me to flck off, it cracked me up coming from a little old lady.