A week fully charged with talk on electric cars – the Labor Party if elected insisting it will legislate that 50 per cent of all cars sold by 2030 to be electric. After much discussion it’s obvious that a lack of detail and research is attached to their proposal – Bill Shorten himself showing a total lack of knowledge on the Kyle and Jackie O radio show this week – when asked how long does it take to charge an electric car suggesting a time of just 6 to 8 minutes. Having just driven my first full electric car – Hyundai’s Ioniq hatchback, I came away initially impressed with what it had to offer in terms of drive- ability, comfort and feel. I drove the Hyundai Ioniq electric premium at $48,990 plus on road costs around twice the price of say a similarly- sized and equipped 2.0-litre petrol Mazda 3. With a range of 235km and my daily commute of 75kms I was able to motor comfortably for two days on a full charge. A 13 hour charge on a normal household power point restored the 150km travelled to full charge. You can improve the charge time to say 5 hours with a fast charger but at a cost of around $2,000. A nice driver though, the brisk acceleration impressed as did the braking action of the electric motor on the overrun, Also the quiet nature of its performance, a great ride and good equipment levels. All augers well if you overlook the charging time and the exalted purchase price and that remains the biggest negative. I’m David Berthon

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