EV for a week with Brittany from Wanneroo

Member News | EV Diaries

Trial start date: 03 March 2023

Before the EV for a Week trial, Brittany was curious about owning an EV but questioned whether it could integrate into her lifestyle. She’d previously viewed access to EVs as a privilege for the elite.

By taking part in the trial, Brittany was able to gain experience in driving an EV and get comfortable with charging around her work and life.

Follow Brittany as she tests the EV out on her drives to and from work and study and on a family trip to Bunbury. She also scored the EV for a few extra days as her trial was across a holiday period.

Age group	20 - 29
Location	Wanneroo
Occupation	Student / Support Worker / Art Instructor
Current car	Kia Cerato
Trial car	Polestar 2
Total kilometres travelled	1290km

Before the trial: EV believer      After the trial: EV believer

Day 1

Picked up the car from RAC and drove home to Wanneroo in peak hour traffic. This was almost the best time for me to learn how to use the regenerative braking system. It was super weird at first but after a while it gets easier to adjust to.

Then I drove back into the city for my night class. It was so weird to not hear the engine even when driving, but fast becoming a big fan of the Polestar!

There was one instance where the unlocking of the car took a long time, but since I had been warned that it could take some time, I wasn't bothered by it. Also, going from a small car to the Polestar took a bit of adjusting! 

Benefits or surprises

Very quiet ride and loving all the features of the Polestar so far.

Challenges or frustrations

None today!

Kilometres travelled: 90km

Charged: Charged at home after I got back from class. Was super easy to plug in, and loved the live charge status on the Mojo app.

Day 2

Had work in Bertram with a client where we visited Baldivis Shopping Centre and back. Got plenty of questions from her and her partner about the EV, so it was fun having a chat with them!

I particularly liked how the maps could show how much battery would be used driving down to Bertram and back from Wanneroo, which gives me a clear picture of how I can structure my workdays when I need to travel far.

At the end of the day, I went to celebrate my dad's birthday in Belmont. All the family were excited to see the quirks and features of the Polestar. Clocked in many kilometres today!  

Benefits or surprises

Worked out how to make the maps appear on my dash as opposed to the regular display, which I found to be helpful.

Challenges or frustrations

None so far

Kilometres travelled: 206km

Charged: Charged at home after dad's birthday celebration. Super easy to set up and I appreciate the live charge status on the Mojo app.

Day 3

Today was a quiet day, so all I did was head home from a friend's place.

Charged the car at home during the day to take advantage of our solar panels, then unplugged overnight as I know I won't be heading out much the next day. 

Benefits or surprises

Cruise control was easy to use and could be adjusted by 5km/h increments, which is pretty neat!

Challenges or frustrations

None so far

Kilometres travelled: 28km

Charged: Charged at home during the day to about 76%, then unplugged at night.

Day 4

Today I stayed at home all day, so didn't take the car out at all. I charged during the day until fully charged. 

Benefits or surprises

None today

Challenges or frustrations

The car gets pretty hot when sitting under the sun. Had a sun visor on the front windscreen, but that sunroof is a killer! 

Kilometres travelled: 0km

Charged: At home

Day 5

Today I drove to Bunbury with my mum to see my grandpa. The trip initially would deplete the battery to about 26%, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the regenerative braking conserved it to about 35%.

Once we arrived, we went out for lunch. After that, I went to check out the fast charge station on Symmons Street while my mum and grandpa completed a few errands. It took around 40 minutes to fully charge, which was perfect timing plus I had brought a book to stay entertained while waiting for the car to charge.

By the time I got back, mum and grandpa were finished and ready to go home. I dropped off grandpa and started the trip back home to Wanneroo. Mum was seriously impressed with how smooth and quiet the car was, and how quick it was to charge the car at the fast charge station.

Benefits or surprises

The fast charge station in Bunbury was super easy to use and particularly useful to have the display to check the charge. Also, the regenerative braking added that little extra battery charge, which gave me peace of mind that I wouldn't get stuck with a flat battery halfway through the trip.

Challenges or frustrations

None today! The car was a dream.

Kilometres travelled: 420km

Charged: Charged at Symmons Street fast charge station to full, then charged at home when we got back that night.

Day 6

Had work in Bertram again today. I was a bit worried about the car not being charged enough overnight after the Bunbury trip, but found it was charged to 76% and was still able to make the trip without running out!

I stopped in Myaree to have lunch, then checked out the ultra-fast charge station at RAC head office. I was only there for 10-15 minutes, but WOW did it charge fast!

Had another shift in Scarborough, then went to gym in Wangara before heading home. It's comforting to know that the EV can support my travelling around Perth for work! 

Benefits or surprises

The battery is able to keep up with my need to travel for work. Plus, the ultra-fast charge absolutely blew me away. 20% charge in 10-15 minutes!

Challenges or frustrations

I did try to fast charge at the Chargefox station in Gwelup after my shift in Scarborough, but it was occupied. I then tried to work out the regular charge station, but ran out of time. Decided to charge at home.

Kilometres travelled: 179km

Charged: RAC ultra-fast charge for 15 minutes, which went really well. Gwelup charge station, which unfortunately I didn't have time to use the regular charge and the fast charge was occupied. Then charged when I got home.

Day 7

Had a shift in the morning close to my home, then went around for a few errands before heading home. It's easy enough to keep the car at full charge when I have quieter days like this, since I have time for the slow charge at home. Later in the evening I had class in the city again, before heading home.

Benefits or surprises

None today

Challenges or frustrations

None today

Kilometres travelled: 83km

Charged: At home

Day 8

I've now reached the point where I'm so used to the EV with my commute that I don't notice the difference in my everyday life anymore. It goes to show that a simple change in routine can easily integrate into your normal day-to-day schedule.

I had work again in Bertram, headed home where I topped up the car before going to a friend's place for the night. Yes, it does mean I need to think about whether I have enough charge for the next day and if I have an opportunity to recharge to a level that I will need. However, I'm at an advantage living in the metropolitan area. It makes it easy to manage and I'm not stressed about running out of charge.

Benefits or surprises

None today

Challenges or frustrations

Nonetoday

Kilometres travelled: 153km

Charged: Topped up at home after work and before going out. Didn't get to full charge, however I wasn't concerned since I didn't have far to go the next day.

Day 9

Had class in the city for the whole day. I found out the CPP parking has bays for electric cars via their app. I didn't get a chance to find them today but will investigate tomorrow as I'll be in the same area. It would be handy to know which adaptors CPP have on their app.

Once class finished, I went to go fast charge at RAC head office as my battery was around 50%. Unfortunately, only one station was available and that had a few cars waiting, so I decided to go home instead. It wasn't super inconvenient, especially since I can charge at home.

Benefits or surprises

CPP lists electric car parking spots on their app, which I hadn't noticed before until having the EV. Also, the camera automatically turns on if you're navigating a tight spot (such as an underground carpark boom gate) so you don't hit anything! Super handy to have.

Challenges or frustrations

Only one of the ultra-fast charge stations being operable at RAC station, however I wasn't in any real urgency to charge. 

Kilometres travelled: 43km

Charged: Attempted to charge at RAC station in West Perth but was unavailable so charged at home.

Day 10

Another day in the city for class. I checked out the electric car bays in CPP State Library but unfortunately the charge point wasn't compatible with the Polestar adapters. It didn't matter since I've been charging at home and the charge was high for the day. Stopped by Spudshed on my way home, then charged at home.

Benefits or surprises

None today

Challenges or frustrations

None today

Kilometres travelled: 58km

Charged: At home

Day 11

Today I returned the EV. It felt pretty sad returning the vehicle and going back to an old manual petrol car, but I had been grateful to have the trial in the first place.

Benefits or surprises

None today

Challenges or frustrations

None today

Kilometres travelled: 30km

Charged: Car was fully charged overnight, and plugged the EV in when returning to RAC West Perth.

EV experience in a nutshell

I think I enjoyed the ease of transitioning my day-to-day routine to incorporate the charging of the car. It wasn't hard to do and, if anything, it encouraged me to keep up effective time management!

Alongside that, chatting to some people at the charge stations while waiting for the car to charge was lovely to hear about their stories with their EVs and how it's not that unattainable to own an electric car.

I'm struggling to find anything to improve on. I think there are some teething issues with the technology being a slight barrier when it doesn't work correctly, such as an out-of-service charging station or the app to unlock and lock the car doesn't respond. Thankfully I have a lot of patience, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for EVs!

I was already in the green for EVs, but even more so now that my anxiety about not being able to sustain my travelling all around Perth for work has been put to rest.