I flew over ‘the ditch’ to visit my friend in New Zealand, Joy, who had recently bought a new Mini Cooper SE electric vehicle (EV).

Driving around Nelson and keeping the car battery charged had been no problem, but we were interested to see how it went on a longer road trip to Westport – 216km and three hours away.

After fully charging the car at home overnight, we set off for Murchison, the halfway point.

There were a couple of steep up-and-down ridges which drained power, but it was comforting to see a bit of recharge on the downhill side.

An hour and a half saw us in Murchison with the battery on 50%.

The charging station was not quite at the location shown in its app search function, but we soon found it.

The station was unoccupied, so we plugged in and Joy started the charging session on the iPhone app before we went for coffee and a scone.

I was watching the car and after 15 minutes a vehicle pulled up behind ours with the driver, ‘Mr Kayak Guy’, walking around looking agitated.

RACQ Roadside Assistance for electric vehicles

We walked back quickly and found he had unplugged our car. He then gave us a little lecture on how he could do so at 80% charge and that charging to 100% was not quite the etiquette.

We set off down the scenic Buller River Gorge for the 1.5-hour drive to Westport.

Starting with a charge at 80% meant the battery level seemed to drop fairly fast and we arrived at Westport with about 40%.

The battery level indicator drops in segments rather than like the hands of a clock, so it can be a bit disconcerting.

After an overnight stay and the Cape Foulwind walk in the morning, we drove to the charging station location in the New World supermarket car park exactly as the app indicated.

The charger was unoccupied, so we plugged in.

It did not go well as Joy’s iPhone app insisted we were still in Murchison and only by turning the phone off and on again did J get the system working.

This time we stayed at the car, making a sandwich, and had time to charge to about 95% before a Tesla rolled up.

‘Mr Tesla’ knew all about charging and we learned that despite the apparent two leads with
different plugs, the terminal can only charge one car at a time.

And so, we were on our way back up the Buller Gorge, arriving in Murchison with 50% and finding the charging station occupied.

We pulled up behind a big SUV and I elected to wait at the car. And waited, and waited!

 I could see now why Mr Kayak seemed agitated.

Eventually – after a good half hour – four people ambled back.

My not-overly-pleasant few words about the 80% etiquette got an angry response from the driver while her three companions looked a little uncomfortable.

During all this, the Tesla couple also arrived, and realised that we hadn’t even started, so they left, hopefully with enough juice to get to Richmond.

Once again, the app had our location wrong, telling us we were still in Westport, so the phone was turned off and on again.

J fetched coffee while I stood guard and at 80% we set off again for the return trip, Murchison to Tahunanui, Nelson.

We were down to 25% for the final straight but like a horse heading home to the stable.
That felt like a safe margin and any anxiety was forgotten.

Once home, we plugged in again for an overnight charge.

The takeaway from this is that if you find the charger unoccupied, you’re in luck; otherwise, be prepared for an unspecified wait.

Secondly, be prepared to charge to 80% and vacate the charger for the inevitable next arrival.

Thirdly, be prepared to deal with some awkward fellow travellers who plug in and disappear.

The iPhone app sends a text at 80% charge, so don’t wander too far.

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