Your questions answered: Is there really such a thing as a bad car these days?

The interest in electric cars is picking up, not only because Tesla is cementing itself as a major brand in Australia but also as a fleet of V8s prepares to race around Australia’s most famous track.

What is the future of the Bathurst 1000 in a world that will have more and more EVs?

We’ve also had bigger-picture questions about how the electricity grid will cope with millions of EVs and whether there is any such thing as a ‘bad car’ in 2022.

One reader wants to know when Australia’s biggest car brand – Toyota – will start selling an EV.

And it wouldn’t be a week of carsales questions without some duelling dual-cab 4x4 utes…

Question:

Answer: Compared with decades ago there’s certainly less of a difference between the best and worst new cars on the market. If you imagine the spread of new models on a bell curve, then that curve has certainly narrowed. There are no absolute shockers and, equally, there are very few that launch head and shoulders above the rest, because competition is tighter and any car that gets an advantage is usually chased down fairly swiftly.

But there are still plenty of cars that don’t really deserve the sales success they enjoy. Put it down to clever marketing, brand perceptions and sharp retail details. Plus, there are other cars that should really do a lot better. Again, it’s usually branding and marketing that leave those good ones being largely unloved.

Question:

Answer: There’s no doubt the electricity grid will have challenges as we (slowly) transition to a zero-emissions motoring world. The grid is not ready today for 20 million EVs to start charging. But, equally, the Australian public and the vehicle manufacturers are not ready to switch everyone over to electric pronto. It’s going to be a gradual process, and as the refuelling network grew with the increasing uptake of motor vehicles, the charging network and electricity grid will also evolve to handle an increasing number of EVs. It relies on the support and guidance of governments, who at the very least need to set the framework under which EVs will operate.

It would make sense, for example, to have smart EV chargers that can communicate with the grid and adjust their charging levels depending on the broader grid demands and the requirements of the vehicle owner. That would also allow EVs to provide a solution to future power requirements. On an average day – with 40-odd-kilometres of driving and 23 hours of parked time – most EVs will have plenty of excess energy that could be temporarily used via vehicle-to-grid technology. They could then charge again at times when electricity demand is typically low, such as in the middle of the night.

So, yes, there are challenges ahead for the electricity grid, but with some planning there’s nothing that shouldn’t be able to be overcome.

Question:

Answer: Motorsport is at a defining point in its history. It’s not only having to deal with the effects of more advanced technology – which arguably lean more on 1s and 0s than the drivers – but is also having to work out which way to jump in an era of increased electrification.

We’ve already got a bit of an insight into EV motorsport with the Formula E series. It uses open-wheeler cars that look vaguely like Formula 1 cars, but relies only on batteries and electric motors. Early in the Formula E series drivers swapped cars mid-race to get a fresh battery. Batteries with a larger capacity meant that stopped a few years ago, but more recently the series has begun testing fast-charging tech that would mean minutes rather than hours in the pits.

Formula 1 has maintained petrol engines but since 2014 has paired them with an electric motor as part of a hybrid system. It’s a nod to the future while maintaining plenty of the noise and theatre that helps create the F1 spectacle.

Moving forward, it’s clear motorsport will have to wean itself off fossil fuels. Formula 1 is aware of that and has plans for laboratory-derived CO2-neutral fuel by 2025. Such e-fuels or synthetic fuels could provide a lifeline for the internal combustion engine to survive in specific applications, such as use in motorsport. The next decade will be crucial to the future of motorsport.

Question:

Answer: Ford already offers a long-range fuel tank for the Ranger ute, which shares its underbody mechanicals with the Everest. It takes the capacity from 80 litres to 140 litres. The company is also currently developing a long-range tank for the Everest. Because the Everest has a slightly shorter wheelbase it means the tank will be smaller – 120 litres – but it should still provide upwards of 1000km of range (less when towing obviously).

Given there are no other major changes for the Everest when fitting the bigger tank (on the rival Toyota Prado, for example, the larger 150-litre tank means fitment of the spare tyre on the rear of the car) you may be wondering why engineers don’t make that tank standard.

Much of it comes down to payload. The payload of a vehicle is measured when it has a full tank of fuel, so the additional 40 litres of diesel would add about 33kg of weight. That weight then needs to be subtracted from the payload. Some people who fit the bigger fuel tank might also do a GVM upgrade, which legally allows the vehicle to carry more.

Question:

Answer: Establishing the toughness of a new ute is something that really only comes after many years of having plenty of them on the road (and off-road!). We’ve dished out our fair share of punishment on the new Ranger but have only done it in relatively short bursts, not the hundreds of thousands of kilometres some owners will do over coming years.

But Ford did much of the development work in Australia on some of the world’s toughest roads. It also has runs on the board from previous local development work of the Ranger.

As for which car is best, it’s a pretty clear win to the new Ranger on space, comfort, driving dynamics, tech and performance. It’s an impressive machine and a clear ute leader. That said, the HiLux still more than holds its own in the rough stuff. It’s one of the best utes to take off-road. See our recent comparison test here.

Plus, the HiLux has a bulletproof reputation for resale values. While it may have a premium price, that price is typically at least partially repaid when it comes time to sell it.

Question: We recently took delivery of a new Tesla and am loving the EV switch. But I’m wondering why it costs so much to charge an EV at a fast-charger? It’s the same electricity I have at home but sometimes I can be paying heaps more than I pay at home. Why? – Bernard

Answer: You’re paying for speed and convenience. Sure, there’s every chance the operator of that fast-charging station would be paying less for the electricity component than what you’re paying for electricity at home. But they also had to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars – sometimes more – in creating the infrastructure to supply electricity up to 150 times faster than your home power point can.

The reality is most EV owners will charge their vehicles at home most of the time, at which point you’re paying a fraction of what people filling with petrol are to cover the same distance. Even when paying up to 60 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity (circa $40 for a full charge in an average EV), you’ll be paying a lot less than you would have for fuel.

Question: Why are traditional brands taking so long to get on board with EVs? I’d be keen on an electric car but I’d prefer to buy one from a brand like Toyota because it’s a brand with runs on the board. They’ve got a service network and I feel I can trust them more than some brand that I’ve never heard of. – Harriette P

Answer: Toyota was a leader in the shift to hybrid propulsion but it has been off the pace with the inevitable shift to electric cars. It’s among the slowest of the traditional big brands to make the move to EV. The car-maker does have an EV on sale overseas – the Toyota bZ4X – but it’s had some early hiccups and is more of a niche model compared with the cars that surge off the average Toyota dealer lot.

But there are loads more EVs coming from Toyota. Late last year the company showcased dozens of EVs it’s planning before the end of the decade. We’d expect the second half of this decade to be more fruitful for Toyota in the EV space.

And it won’t all be battery-electric vehicles for Toyota. The company still sees hybrid as a viable solution for reducing CO2 emissions for a long time yet (off-roaders such as the Toyota HiLux and LandCruiser are likely to have hybrid systems by the end of the decade). Plus, Toyota is one of the brands that sees a big future for hydrogen fuel-cells (which are a form of EV) in certain applications.

In Australia, Toyota’s EV journey was due to start rolling this year with the bZ4X, but it’s been delayed until 2023. Toyota has already warned it won’t be cheap, though, so it’s unlikely to have anything like the sales success of the company’s hybrids – or the rival Tesla Model Y.

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