Here's what I'm wondering about EVs. When will they get to the point where there is NO operational downside over a petrol vehicle?

I did a calculation last week. The average distance I have driven my Mazda 3, per day, over its lifetime. Wanna guess, before I give the answer in my next paragraph?

The answer is less than twenty kilometres. Per day. In over 19 years. And that's using it more than I actually need to. I do not, most of the time, need to drive to the local railway station during the week.

What I *do* use it for is to drive to Rotorua to visit family. This is why I have range anxiety, and it is *real*. Because in Aotearoa, once you get 100km from a city centre... there is bugger all!

I've looked at "normal" range EVs. Most of them can't get to Taihape from my place (and I'm already north of Wellington). So where, exactly, am I going to spend half an hour charging up? I'd consider Bulls, but then none of them have the legs to do the rest of the trip in one go. So it would be Bulls *and* Taihape/Waiouru.

Driving my ICE car, I fill up once before I leave either end. That's it. I don't *think* about "where can I fill up?" Because I know I don't need to. I used to drive a smaller car that would comfortably make Hamilton on a single tank.

Even if I concede to *shudder* spend time in Hunterville, how many EVs can conceivably do that at once? Two? Four? It might depend on how many chargers are working. Last I looked, Turangi — a tourist town — had four. Total. On State Highway 1 for goodness sake.

Let me know when there are at least a dozen (working) chargers in Levin, Bulls, Hunterville, Taihape, Waiouru, Turangi, and Taupo (near SH1 — I never stop in Taupo any more).

Or, give me a *reasonably priced* car that can comfortably do 500km through the central North Island, including in winter.

We're not there yet. Car commuters (certainly in Welly) have no excuse. I've been electric commuting for over 20 years straight.