Your questions answered: How can I work out the health of my EV battery?

A carsales reader this week has hit upon one of the big issues of electric vehicle ownership: what condition the high-voltage battery pack is in.

We try to help him out, although there are ultimately more questions than answers.

We’ve got another reader wanting to know if a standard power point in an apartment block will suffice for charging an EV, while someone else is trying to cash in on the EV rebate.

On the other side of the ICE/EV debate, another reader is looking for the best tow vehicle for a new caravan purchase.

Plus, there’s a would-be purchaser of a large pick-up truck wondering whether they could soon get a lot more expensive once CO2 emissions regulations are announced.

How can I work out the health of my EV’s battery?

Question:

Answer: Determining the health of an EV’s battery is a lot trickier than it should be, especially considering the number of display screens and monitoring that’s going on in modern cars. The car knows what sort of condition the battery is in, but it doesn’t let the driver know – at least not easily.

That’s not a Jaguar thing, but an EV thing generally. Unlike a smartphone, your EV typically won’t tell you what sort of condition the battery is in (the Nissan LEAF is a rare exception). It’s crazy considering EVs have a separate battery warranty and the battery is by far the most expensive component in the car yet it remains a mystery to owners and would-be buyers on the used car market as to what condition that battery is in.

Anyway, rant over… Now onto finding you a solution. The easiest and most accurate way is to take it back to the dealership and ask them to plug into the onboard diagnostics for a near-instant readout of battery condition. Independent mechanics should also be able to achieve the same, depending on their diagnostics equipment.

Another way to get an idea is looking at the forecast range of the vehicle and compare it to what you remember when the car was new. For example, if your car has 65 per cent charge remaining and is estimating 246km of range then divide 220 by 0.65 to get 378km. If you were getting more like 410km from a charge when the car was new then you can estimate than the battery has lost almost eight per cent of its original capacity.

There are some big caveats with this method. The main one is that you need to be driving the car in similar conditions in a similar manner and in similar temperatures to get a vaguely accurate idea. Changing any one of those things can change the forecast range, therefore making comparisons a tad apples-with-oranges.

But if you’re confident those elements are similar then it’s a very rough way to get an idea of battery health. But, as mentioned, plugging in to the car’s computer gives a far more accurate analysis.

What is the best car to tow a 2.8-tonne caravan?

Question: What would you recommend as a tow vehicle for a small caravan with 2.8-tonne max weight, so would need legal 3t tow? I have a Mazda BT-50, five years old that would be traded.

Would like it to be hybrid but diesel is fine as an alternative. – Joe

Answer: There’s not a whole lot happening with hybrid utes right now, nor hybrid off-roaders generally. And EVs are even further away. There’s a lot happening on that front in the United States and some of that will eventually filter to Australia.

But for now the EV focus in Australia is very much on-road SUVs and passenger cars, none of which are as well suited to heavy-duty towing as those larger, more utilitarian machines.

So… let’s stick to diesel, which is the pick in your circumstances.

The Ford Ranger is the standout in the ute class. Even as a 2.0-litre four-cylinder it’ll shift your van convincingly enough, although the V6 is the pick. The included trailer wiring on most models is a bonus, as is the integrated brake controller and trailer light check system.

All of that also applies to the Ford Everest SUV, which utilises the Ranger’s mechanical package but pops them in a more traditional wagon body.

Otherwise, check out the Isuzu MU-X and Isuzu D-MAX, as well as the new Mazda BT-50 (it’s a twin under the skin of the D-MAX), which is a very different car to the one you’re currently driving.

If you can wait until mid-2024 then the new Toyota Prado looks like an impressive option, although we haven’t driven it yet. The main issue might be getting hold of one; we understand plenty of dealers are already holding lists of would-be owners.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many options for on-road-focused vehicles that will tow that sort of weight.

How do I claim the EV rebate in Queensland?

Question:

Answer: The rebate schemes are done through the states/territories and for Queensland it applies only to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs, or EVs), not plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

For Queensland it’s a $3000 rebate for vehicles below $68,000 or a $6000 rebate if your household income is less than $180,000. Details are on the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority website.

Not sure if you’ve considered an EV, but if you have home charging (which it sounds as though you do) and don’t travel more than 600-700km a day then an EV would generally be the better way to go. Better to drive than a PHEV, better efficiency and (oddly) you’ll spend less time charging it because the PHEV will likely need charging every day whereas the EV could go for a week or more without a charge.

There are some good ones that would be eligible for the rebates. They include the Tesla Model 3 and the Tesla Model Y that’s just been named carsales’ Best Electric Car for 2023. The base Rear-Wheel Drive ones of either would be available for the Queensland rebate, although with the Model Y you’d have to buy a white one because the other models edge it over the rebate threshold. The BYD Atto 3 is also worth a look.

As for other incentives when buying an EV, you could also look at the federal government’s FBT exemption on EVs. It also applies to PHEVs, but it requires a novated lease, so only applies to people who can access those through their employer. And in most parts of the country you can’t use the federal incentive with the state-based ones.

Will we be OK to charge our EV from a standard power point?

Question: We would like to know what options are available for slow charging in a retirement village strata building? We are thinking that a standard 240-volt 10-amp outlet with provision for charging for electricity consumed will do. Older people don’t drive long distances. On the odd occasion that they do require a big top-up, they can go to a commercial fast-charger nearby. – Michael P

Answer: Charging in apartment blocks can cause issue with strata departments, so make sure you put it on the radar of the committee at the next AGM. That said, if there’s already a standard power point in your garage then you should be fine to use it. The car will sap no more electricity than a kettle.

Obviously, it’ll be a slow charge, but if you’re doing less than 100km a day then it’ll be absolutely fine. You just have to remember to plug it in regularly because if the battery gets low then there’s no such thing as a fast charge to bring it back. It could take a day and a half for a full charge. But, again, if you’re good at plugging in then it should be fine.

And yes, as you say, there are more fast-chargers popping up that can look after that occasional quick top-up.

Will the Ford F-150 and other US pick-up trucks become more expensive with CO2 regulations?

Question:

Answer: You’re right, in that CO2 emissions regulations have been promised by the end of 2023. That said, all that’s been promised by the Albanese government is that the framework will be laid out following extensive industry consultation.

The regulations themselves won’t be introduced then and may take years to take effect. They could also be phased in in stages, although all that detail will obviously be available once the government releases it.

We wouldn’t be too worried about the impact on existing vehicles. Governments typically don’t go targeting cars already on the market with new regulations such as this.

The thing likely to have a far bigger impact on vehicles like the Ford F-150 is fuel prices. If it suddenly gets a lot more expensive to fill one then their appeal on the used car market would likely wane.

All of which is speculation, obviously, because no one has any idea how much we’ll be paying for fuel next year, let alone in five or 10 years.

Where are all the hybrid utes?

Question: I’m looking to buy a new ute and was hoping to get a hybrid. But from what I can tell there are none available!? What’s going on? Surely they would be a hit? I’m a bit stunned that no one is selling one yet. – Damo A

Answer: We’re with you on it being a slow burn to hybrid in the ute space. Toyota makes a big deal about hybrids yet its top-selling vehicle – the HiLux – does without. And it seems we won’t be seeing a hybrid HiLux in the current generation. That would suggest 2025 at the earliest, but possibly even later.

Similarly, Ford has said previously it is investigating plug-in hybrid tech for its Ranger, but everything has been quiet on that front so far.

And yes, you’re absolutely right that a hybrid ute would sell. There’s increasing demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrid seems like a good way to do it.

There’s also obviously a lot bubbling away with battery-electric utes too, particularly in North America. There’s plenty happening in that space and we should see something by 2025-ish – and multiple options by the end of the decade.

When can I order a Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series V8?

Question:

Answer: What’s going on is that the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series has never been more popular. Tough 4x4 utes are all the rage these days and boxy utilitarian ones with some rock-crushing history adds to the appeal.

The 70 Series hasn’t been available to order for more than a year. If you have your heart set on the V8, then you still can’t order one (although you can buy through dealerships as a ‘used car’ with only a few kilometres on the clock, typically with inflated prices).

But Toyota is now taking orders on the updated four-cylinder turbo-diesel. It’s the same engine used in the HiLux, Fortuner and Prado, although Toyota has made tweaks to the six-speed auto to ready it for life in a hardcore off-roader.

Don’t be put off by the prospect of a four-cylinder, though. The reality is the V8 is underdone (a lot of owners tweak the ECU and get rid of some of the emissions hardware to boost outputs) with just 151kW and 430Nm.

The four-cylinder makes 150kW/500Nm. While we haven’t driven it yet, we’d expect the four-cylinder to be the quicker of the two.

As for when the V8 will be able to be ordered again, Toyota says there are no plans but the stop-sale will be in place for some time. The decision could hinge on how many buyers with an existing order decide to change their orders from a V8 to a four-cylinder.

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