093 - A Ferrari Electric Car? Exclusive chat with Ferrari's product lead

This is Two Blokes talking electric cars with Steven Fenwick and Trevor Long thanks to NRMA Insurance and UNIDEN.

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and also one of Australia's largest insurers of electric vehicles.

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Now I was lucky enough a couple of weeks ago to head to Maranello.

In Italy, in northern Italy, about two and a half hours south of Milan, just near Bologna,

for people that want to know where it is.

You can just look at Google Maps I guess.

I went as a guest of Ferrari and I knew from the outset that this was about electric cars.

And I also knew from the outset they were not announcing a car.

Right.

So it's a challenging sell for this one, eh mate?

But geez, I worked real hard to find an angle to get me over there anyway.

And it was pretty amazing because we got to visit the actual Ferrari factory,

which has been their factory since 1947 or so, since Enzo Ferrari created.

It was funny, we walked out.

We had to walk through the whole factory area, like the little roads within it to go and get lunch one day.

And we walked past these four windows on the ground floor just approaching the main gate.

And Ryan, who works for Ferrari in Australia, said this is where Enzo Ferrari, that was his office.

Right there on the ground floor because he wanted to be able to see the people coming and going from the factory.

Wow.

That was amazing.

Have you seen the movie Ferrari with Adam Driver?

No.

Must watch.

Put that on there.

So, you know, Ferrari's obviously evolved over many years and they've got new buildings and whatever,

but they've got this big new building called the e-building,

which stands for I think energy, environment and efficiency or something like that.

But anyway, this is where their new production line is.

So this is where they're building all their cars now, except for their handcrafted, you know, $7 million special sports cars.

But for their range vehicles.

So I learned a lot.

They have range vehicles, which is essentially the cars you go,

I want that one in this color, then boom.

But then there's collective vehicles.

They're done on a different production line.

It's a beautiful place.

It was like a bloody hospital inside this factory.

You mean like clean?

Yeah.

Like, you know, immaculate, white, sterile.

Yeah, beautiful.

Anyway, so they announced the Ferrari Electrica, which is not the name of the car.

Well, it's the technology, isn't it?

It's just them saying, well, that's what the Ferrari Electrica is basically.

It means in English, it means Ferrari Electric.

But that's not the name of the car.

We don't know how much it's going to cost and we don't know what it looks like because they did not reveal a car.

They revealed a chassis.

So you never drove a car.

You didn't drive any EV.

So you were introduced to the concept.

Concept and the chassis.

So they had literally the chassis of the car with battery pack in it,

electric motors, front and back and suspension arms on all four corners.

What did it look like?

It looked like a chassis.

Yeah, it looked like a chassis.

There's a photo of it at EFTM.com if you want to see it.

It looked like a chassis.

Not that exciting to look at, to be honest.

But they are building the battery packs in the factory.

So the battery cells, and it's weird.

They look like they're about, I don't know, this big, maybe 30 or 40 centimetres long,

maybe 15, 20 centimetres tall and like one centimetre thick.

That's a battery cell.

That's a cell.

They get those shipped in, I was in the factory, I saw the box set SK,

which is a supplier made in China.

So they've got these cells, but then they weld all them together into a module.

Oh, so they get the component to make their own battery.

Then there's 13 modules that go into the battery.

Sorry, 15.

13 of them on one level and then two on a top level where the rear seat would be.

And the battery pack is born.

And then they've got front and rear axle, which is made up of four electric motors,

two front, two back, and the gearing in between them.

So again, engineered to an nth degree.

Like little things that I didn't understand, like inside the electric motor,

the distance between the spinning part and the magnets is like an nth of a millimetre.

That's what you do.

That's what they do in the Ferrari Formula One factory.

That's what they learnt from them.

Whereas if you go to another car, there might be a millimetre there,

and that loses efficiency, all these kind of things.

So the drivetrain is there, and then each suspension arm is now fully active,

which means it's all electronically controlled.

All the suspension, four-wheel steering, everything.

So they wanted to spruke how much attention and detail had gone into the platform

and into it being a genuine Ferrari experience.

So obviously they're not electrifying an existing car.

This is from the ground up brand new.

But to be clear, we're not talking about like a two-door load of the ground sports car here.

We're talking about more of an SUV vehicle or what is it going to be?

We don't know.

What we did guarantee from them is it's a four-seat four-door.

They admitted that.

They also admitted that the car was locked, so there's no...

They have finished the design, so it's basically kind of in production.

But we won't see it until June next year.

Oh, wow.

In somewhere early next year, they're going to reveal something else,

which there's going to be two more launches.

Wow.

One of them, I assume, will be the interior.

I'm not coming for that.

Can you get both of us over there next time, mate?

And the third one will be the car, the price and everything.

Wow.

So it's a fascinating story because there's a lot of attention on it.

Ferrari, it's electric, is it stupid, is it good?

Yeah, of course, of course.

They made a strong point that 20% of their range by 2030 will be electric.

20%?

So 1 in 5.

1 in 5 models available.

Models, wow.

So not sales.

They might sell 10 of these things.

I understand.

But in terms of models available, it will be 20% of their range.

Maybe I'll wait for Ferraris my next car.

Maybe.

Do you know how much Ferraris are?

Yeah, I've got an idea.

But my guess, I'll put a guess on the market right now.

This is a $350,000 to $400,000 car.

And I guess it will be a small to medium SUV.

Maybe out of my price range, which is just a little bit out there.

Ferrari have a hybrid electric, a hybrid petrol electric car,

with the poor sangua right now, which is broadly an SUV.

Yeah.

So it's not out of their realms to create an SUV.

And I did see a prototype leave the factory in full camouflage

that made no noise and had fake exhaust pipes.

Hello.

Looked to me a lot like a small SUV.

There you go.

Anyway, I was given an opportunity.

And I thought we videoed it for the channel line.

So I thought I might as well use it here.

Yeah.

So I was given an opportunity to catch up with the,

essentially the head of development,

chief product development officer at Ferrari.

His name is Gianmaria Fulgenzi.

So this is my conversation with the man himself

who is basically in charge of the Ferrari electric car program.

I'm Gianmaria Fulgenzi and I'm the chief product development officer.

Now let's keep it very simple here.

Ferrari is going electric.

Yeah.

Ferrari is going electric.

It's a new chapter of our history.

It's a very important day for us.

Let me say an historic day because we strongly wanted to continue

our electrification journey starting many years ago

to be precise in 2009 with some prototypes

and then following in Formula One and La Ferrari

and SF90 Stradale, so hybrid cars.

And so we wanted to complete this electrification journey

to develop a completely new car also to enlarge,

let me say, the customer base to propose our car.

How is Ferrari doing electric different to everyone else?

That's a good question.

Let me say, we strongly wanted always that our product must be driven,

not only by home in the garage, look at them and so on,

but to be driven.

This is the heart of the Ferrari DNA,

a car that creates performance but of course creates emotion, driving trills.

We say that the driving trills are something that starts in the brain,

exploding the heart, creating a butterfly in the stomach

and create a very big smile in the face when you drive the car

and push you and your companion or your family

to use the car massively every day, every moment

because using the car, you enjoy yourself.

So we are definitely in this way.

It's not only, let me say, an electric car.

It's a Ferrari, first of all.

First and foremost, it's a Ferrari.

What does it mean?

What does it mean that the car has an electric powertrain

but that creates the same emotion of the other Ferrari cars?

What we see behind you is the underpinnings of a Ferrari electric car.

Why not show us the car?

Why reveal the technology?

It has been a long discussion internally

because, let me say, there are a lot of so many innovations on the car.

The car has more than 60 patented solutions,

both, let me say, mechanical, aerodynamic and so on,

that we wanted to have a long path to have the possibility

to explain to our customer and to the public

what we have done with an electric powertrain

because, as I said, for us it's a new chapter of our lives.

So we wanted to explain with calm and in very specific details

what we have done on the powertrain,

what we have done in the vehicle dynamics,

what we have done in interior design, exterior design, aerodynamics

and, let me say, only one time it wouldn't be enough.

If you think about the Ferrari DNA and Formula One,

a Formula One fan might say to you that they wish Formula One would go back

to the days of naturally aspirated,

throbbing V8s, V10s, the sound of Formula One,

compared to what it is today.

Are you going to have that same challenge with Ferrari owners

wanting the pure Ferrari experience with a V8 engine

as opposed to electric?

Is it going to be a hard sell?

Let me say that the Ferrari Eletrica is not something

that replaces some of our products.

It's an addition.

We are enlarging our product portfolio, our product range,

so it's something that we put in the range that before doesn't be

and we don't replace anything.

So our customers can choose a V6, a V8,

let me say an internal combustion engine,

aspirated engine, turbo, hybrid car, two-seater, four-seater,

front engine, rear engine, we have everything.

We have probably the most large proposal in terms of cars

that we have had in so far.

So this car is an addition.

That, as I said, is directed to, let me say,

new also Ferraristi that needs something different

or existing Ferraristi that needs something like this

together with other products or other cars

that you have in the garage.

So we said in the last four years, let me say,

different Ferrari for different Ferraristi

and different Ferrari for different moments.

So this is an example of a new car that can join the expectation

and we said sometimes overtake the expectation of our customers.

So relax. We're not going all electric for one model.

No, of course. Not all electric but also electric.

So what is it that you're most proud of when you look

at what you've revealed so far in terms of the technological

development in a very new space?

The components, of course, the innovation and the Formula

1 transfer technology and technical stuff that we have

put in the components, like the hardback configuration

in the rotors or the chemistry inside the cells for the battery.

The components are strongly derived what we learn in Formula 1

and what we every day testing like Formula 1.

This is innovation, let me say, department.

But as I said previously, I had to underline the integration

of the components with the electronic system that are able

to put all the components working like one only system

with only brain that is able to control every single corner,

every single wheels, let me say in a blink of an eye.

For the first time with the EV architecture,

we have been able to create a car that we said has four active corners

which means that every single wheel can steer,

can go in a longitudinal way and brake,

but also in the high.

We can adjust the height of the car with active suspension

and we can do this in the four wheels independent way.

So the four wheels are independent.

So we have a car that we can move as we want.

So the car, despite the weight, is incredibly agile.

First of all, because the weight of the battery is concentrated

on a very, very neat floor and is all around the centre of the gravity.

And secondly, because with these four active corners

we can create a very agile car with the brain of the electronics.

Is it important for Ferrari lovers, owners to realise

that every part of this car is manufactured by Ferrari

in the same way that every Ferrari engine suspension has always been?

Yeah, this question, I thank you for this question

because for us it's very important, we are very proud to say that

every core components are thought, developed and produced

and will be produced in-house because like, let me say,

we have done in the last 78 years for the internal combustion engine

that we produce, we think, we develop, we test our internal combustion engine in-house

also for the electric, for the inverter, for the battery system.

These components are the key components for the electric car

so we want strongly to develop them in-house

and to keep them in-house to push you the excellence

and also to guarantee the usability of the car also for the future.

Are you confident that we who review cars

as well as the people that own cars and buy Ferraris

will be delightfully surprised what they see and feel when they drive this car?

Yeah, of course, absolutely, absolutely.

They will be deeply surprised.

When should we expect to see the actual car?

Next year, go on.

Next year, I can say next year.

Next year.

Yeah, in the middle of the year.

Excellent, thank you for your time.

Oh, thank you so much, you're welcome.

I thought you were going to do some sort of Trump action there or something, you know?

No, mate, I've done that before. I'll try not to double up.

Oh, right, okay, fair enough, fair enough.

Two bucks for electric cars.

We'd love to hear from you if you've got a question about electric cars,

you want to chat about electric cars, you've just bought an electric car,

you don't want to buy an electric car, you're in the market.

I mean, I could go on.

Yes.

Basically, if it has the word electric car in it, positive or negative,

we'd love to hear from you.

Send us a text or what's that?

Thanks to Vodafone 0477657657.

Ken's on the line.

G'day, Ken.

Hey, how are you going?

Yeah, really good.

What can we do for you?

Are you an owner or in the market?

Oh, we just recently purchased the EV.

What'd you get, mate?

We've got a C-Line 7.

So you've already got it or it's on order?

We've already got it.

All right, so how long did it take you from making the decision

to get an EV to now sitting in your C-Line 7?

It's been two years in the making.

Wow.

Now, why so long?

Is it just you just couldn't find the right car

or you just wanted to test drive as many as you can?

Well, you just wanted to take your time.

Why did it take that long?

Yeah, we have been waiting ages to look at a car,

but we sold our second car, so we only had one car.

Recently, our car just got ridden off,

so we had to pull the plunger and get an EV car.

Okay.

So was it just a no-brainer that your next one was going to be EV?

Like, was there any concern whether it's to do with the cost

of the car or using the car?

Had you already committed?

It was always going to be EV next.

Yeah, it's always going to be EV.

So then what did you look at?

How many vehicles did you look at before you landed on old C-Line?

We test-travelled about 16 cars before we decided...

How many did Padelope drive?

Padelope was like 12 or 13.

I think she got up to 16.

Okay, sorry.

It's not the record, mate.

It's not the record.

That's all right.

You've equaled the record, mate, from another listener.

So what were the other ones that caught your eye, though?

X-Ping G6, also Deep Power SO7, and also the Zika 7X.

Yeah, we're hearing those names over and over.

They seem to be very popular among people looking to get into an EV.

So what was it about the C-Line 7 that pipped those other cars for you?

It was just the pricing was good because we got a $2,000 discount on the car.

How did you do that?

Yeah, mate, tell us a story.

They had like a big test drive on that day.

So you could either get options of $2,000 worth of accessories

or $2,000 off the price.

Wow, that's great.

Yeah, so and inside the car looks really good and it drives really well.

So tell us, Ken, what's your charging situation?

Do you do a lot of driving and do you have a wall charger at home

or how are you sorting out your charging?

So I have a solar at home and we're getting a battery and a DC charger.

Okay.

Yeah, have you worked out which charger you're going to get

so that it can modulate versus solar battery and all that kind of thing?

Because it's complex, complex world when you've got multiple power sources in generation.

Yeah, so I'm getting a SIG energy battery, a 40 kilowatt battery plus the DC charger.

That is a mammoth battery.

That's a big battery, yeah, wow.

Yeah, so I'm excited about this because hopefully we can use the cars,

the battery to also power our house as well.

You won't need to with a 40 kilowatt battery in the driveway in the side of the house, mate.

So is that V2G, the C-line 7?

Yes.

Well, I think BYD do have some cars, yes, the V2G, yeah.

So you've got your 40 kilowatt battery in the house and then what's the 80, 90 kilowatts in the car?

Mate.

You're off the grid.

You're going to be powering the whole neighborhood.

Hopefully.

Don't describe your family. You've got a big family, Ken?

So I've got three kids, so we needed a bigger car.

You needed a 70 kilowatt battery then go on here.

And also I drive about 100 km a day.

Wow.

And so this is your car, Ken, isn't it?

Or is it the family car? You drive it mainly, don't you?

So it handles your daily driving?

Yes, that's right.

Okay.

And is the range, I don't know how long you've had the car for,

but is the range meeting your expectations,

what you, how often you need to charge it

and getting you to and from work every day?

Yes, it is.

I originally saw the car and they said that consumption on this car was actually quite bad.

But so far I've driven it, it's not that bad at all.

Yeah.

Mate, it is what you make of it.

I mean, if you understand the electric, and we've talked about this,

there's many factors that play into the range.

If you get up at three o'clock in the morning and it's freezing cold

and the range is going to look different, the car's going to go, it's cold.

It's going to be different.

But mate, as long as you're getting what you need out of it,

you do 100 km a day, so I'm assuming you're currently,

if you haven't got the DC charging yet,

are you trickle charging at home at the moment,

or are you just doing some public charging?

I'm doing a bit of both.

Yeah, right.

Okay.

And what sort of other driving do you do?

Do you do any road trips?

You worried about that, or have you got some plans?

Oh, we already did one road trip.

So since we got the car, we went to Canberra.

Nice.

So yeah, it was an interesting learning experience.

We're charging at a DC charger.

Yeah, yeah.

So it didn't take that long.

Yeah, that's a myth.

You know, a lot of people think, oh, you know,

you're driving, it's going to take hours to charge the car.

When you tell them it's only 20 minutes,

by the time you go to the bathroom,

get a coffee or some lunch, and you're ready to go.

Is that what you found?

Yeah.

So yeah, it didn't take that long at all.

So before we could even finish our food,

it had already finished charging.

There you go.

So you hear that?

That's great.

It is one of the most gnarly things,

and we talked to Amman from the EV Council last week.

But the myths and the way it's reported,

I don't know if you do much YouTubing with cars,

and you might have watched some,

but there's a guy in the UK,

I feel like his name is Matt, a car wow,

or something like that,

and he's an unbelievably good car journey.

Like, I love his reviews.

He's very passionate, great presenter,

but he's obviously a car guy from old school, right?

So he's done an electric vehicle thing,

and he copped a lot of flak for it, right?

So then he comes back into his car,

and he pulls up at a charging station, Stephen and Ken,

and he goes, righty-ay, well,

all the electric vehicle people tell me

you can get a bit of charge just in the toilet break.

So he puts the car on, it's like 43% plugs in,

goes inside to the Brasco, comes back out,

and it's got 3% extra on the battery.

And I'm like, mate, you're missing the entire point.

It's not about that.

Like, as Ken said, you're normally doing the charge

when you stop for lunch.

Exactly.

Or you should be stopping for longer than four minutes anyway.

It's right.

And also, there's this thing about people not realizing

you don't need, in a petrol car,

unless you're a teenager like my son,

who's putting $5 in when he's got $5.

In a petrol car, Ken, when was the last time

in a petrol car you didn't just fill the whole tank?

Because that's what you do,

but you don't do that in an electric car.

Yes, that's right.

You just fill it up to 80% and then off you go.

Or whatever else you need, you know?

So are you observing that percentage

just for battery safety?

What did BYD advise about that?

No, they've told me that I can charge up to 100.

They've got the LFP batteries.

I think you're OK.

Of course, of course.

And as we've learned, Ken,

I don't know if you've heard many of our shows,

but as we've learned from Pickles doing their research

into car sales and the battery testing they've done,

a lot of it shows that if you're especially doing

a lot of trickle and slow charging,

so not 50 kilowatts or more,

actually, the battery health is unbelievable.

Broadly, it's far better than we would think.

And I should say Pickles also put out a report last week or so

that said that as a result of the battery health reports,

they're getting quicker sales and better value sales.

So, you know, things are looking up for the market,

but it sounds like, you know, this car's going to be with you for a while.

Have you got a second car, Ken, did you say?

No, with any one car sold.

They sold one and the other were written off.

Yeah, right.

But you're not going to have a second car, though,

that you need to convince your family to go electric?

Not at the moment.

Yeah, cool, cool.

Well, mate, if the missus will be saying,

oh, I want my own EV, it should be safe.

Yeah, that's a worry.

And, mate, you're in the BYD family, so they've got the Dolphin,

they've got the Add-O-1, the Add-O-2 coming.

Yeah.

Like, the Add-O-1 would be a great little runabout,

great little car.

So, just finally, Kenny, what's the summary of the BYD experience

from both buying, waiting and the pickup?

What was it like from a dealership perspective?

That's really good.

So, we ordered the car on Saturday and picked up

on the following Friday.

Wow, that's amazing.

And what color did you get, mate?

We got white.

White.

And was the dealer very proactive in discussing the car with you,

talking about how to use it?

Or, like, that's our biggest concern is the dealer's just going,

here's the keys, good luck, goodbye.

Yeah.

No, they were really good.

Like, they showed us all the features of the car.

That's great.

We had any questions, we could call them.

Nice.

Great delivery experience.

Well done, mate.

That's what you want.

That's a win.

Well done.

Good on you, Ken.

Lovely to hear from you, mate.

Really great.

I really appreciate it.

And if you learn anything yourself you want to share with other people,

mate, you can always get in touch with us again

on 0-4-7-6-5-7-6-5-7.

All right.

Thanks, guys.

Cheers, buddy.

Good to hear from you.

Well, that's awesome.

That's a great story.

And I will say Aaron sent us a note.

Aaron's our O2 guy.

If you want to get a deal on an electric car,

he doesn't have all brands.

But the big brands like Kia and things like that are there.

If you want an EV3 or an EV5, Aaron can hook you up.

He contacted me.

He said he's got a connection to the Porsche as well.

Yeah, he does.

But it probably won't be as valuable as he is.

But the thing is, he's got this email he shared with us

that he sends to people who buy through him

because he wants to give them that knowledge and education.

It's a good onboarding thing, yeah.

I do feel like we...

And maybe we should lead this or something.

Maybe we should publish something.

But I think I've said before, the drone,

when you buy a drone, there's a pamphlet in there.

Yeah.

That gives you the rules.

You've got to understand.

We'll make it a thing that by the end of the year,

once we've done our, are you buying an EV

and have you just bought an EV shows?

Yeah.

Maybe we do a little flyer

and we distribute them to car dealers

to make available to new owners.

And so they can listen to our show.

Well, that was the subtle little...

By the way, his...

There's a motive there.

His five tips and a QR code to read, to watch a show.

That's a great idea.

There you go.

What do you think?

Boom.

So we do the episode that you've just bought an EV.

What do you need to know, right?

Here you go.

Put the QR code, boom, dealership.

Off you go.

Listen to this.

You'll be an expert.

Or, you know, have you ever been go-karting

at those hire-kart centers?

No.

You turn up and you pay 20 bucks for the session

and then they take you to a room

and you've got to watch a video that is the rules.

You know, yellow flag.

They make you sit in a room.

Yeah.

Right?

And then you get to race.

Maybe.

You don't get the keys to your car

until you've watched our video.

Yeah.

It's like torture before you get a car.

Hey, hey.

Speak for yourself.

No, no, they're fair enough

and we could do something about it.

I think we could make it entertaining.

Yeah.

All right.

Well, two bikes, two electric cars.

We'd love to hear from you.

Anytime you've got something to say about electric cars,

we'd love to hear from you.

I have to apologize.

I think I played the same one.

I'll be honest.

I think I played the same one.

Yeah.

There are other things.

CDEF and I just feel like I keep going to F.

I think he's one of why that is.

I want to see what my reaction is.

Well, you react to all of them though.

Okay.

That's fine.

Speaking of reacting, 0-4-7-6-5-7-6-5-7.

If you want to react to anything that happens on this show,

we'd love to hear from you.

And that's what we do each and every week.

Whenever we can hear from you,

we'd love to hear from you.

So stands on the line.

G'day Stan.

Hey guys, how are you?

Really good, mate.

You're in the car.

You're driving.

Talk to us, mate.

We're driving an electric car.

Tell us about your journey.

Yeah.

So this is one of the, I guess,

more extreme things that I've done.

So I'm heading straight up the middle of WA.

My mission is to go to where I was born in Newman.

So I left Calguli two or three days ago.

And it's going to take three nights of 15 amp charging

to get to my destination.

I've done two nights.

I've already got one more night.

And then I should be in Newman tomorrow.

I left Kangaroo Island where I lived seven days ago.

And I've done...

Ah, he said.

He said, listen, I'm worried the mobile service...

Let's just be clear for people here

because I'll try and get Stan back in a second.

But he told us he's 50Ks from Mika Thara,

which is legitimately in the middle of nowhere.

And by the way, he's from Kangaroo Island.

So that's in South Australia.

And this is, by the way, he's driving a Polestar 2.

Polestar 2, yeah.

Kangaroo, before I call him back,

I'm going to look up the distance

from Kangaroo Island to Mika Thara.

It's a 34-hour drive, 3,000 kilometers.

Wow.

In an EV.

That's pretty brave.

Well, we'll just hit Redol and see whether it works.

Okay, just bear with us, folks,

while we try and get the great man back on the line.

But it's probably not going to bode well given a...

Are you rich, Stan?

Please leave a message.

Come back to you, mate.

We won't leave a message.

But it's fascinating, right?

So he's driving...

Here's what we know about Stan.

We'll try one more time to get him back in a minute.

But he's had a Polestar 2, long range.

Luckily.

Hello.

I need it.

After two years of road tripping around Australia,

so I'm desperate to know how many kays he's done,

he says all the way round.

I wasn't going to, this is what he says,

but the Zika X7X is so compelling and perfect

for my road tripping that I want one

and haven't made a down payment.

So he's got the...

He made a down payment,

but I was about to make a down payment.

That's what he said.

So he's got the range he needs,

the size and size he needs.

But didn't Polestar come back at him

with an offer for a used PSP Polestar 3?

Yeah, he says,

it's slightly used, fully loaded,

P3 for the price of the Zika X7X all-wheel drive.

Wow.

Decisions to make there.

Decisions.

And we'll try one more time.

Well, if he likes the Polestar,

then it might be...

I mean, it's a beautiful car to pull.

Better than the devil, you know.

Yeah, right.

It really is.

Hey.

Hey, we lost him.

We got you.

I know that was my fault.

That was my fault.

I was trying to click the trip meter

and I hung up on you.

I was trying to tell you how...

You're fed he can hang up on us.

That'll do me.

Well, we've just explained to the audience

that you're driving a Polestar 2 long range.

You've had it for two years.

You've driven around Australia.

You're thinking about a 7X.

Let's go back to the Polestar, though, quickly.

If you've been around Australia

and I calculated your 3,000 kilometers

from home right now,

how many Ks have you done?

Or don't hang up on us

when you get to the trip meter, though?

No, I'm not going to touch anything on that.

So, 53,000.

But I honestly don't really drive it.

That much other than the road trips.

Why is that?

Because you're on Kangaroo Island.

You walk everywhere.

I don't know.

Yeah, basically.

I live in town

and I walk everywhere.

And then once or twice a week

I'll drive around the island.

I was joking.

I was joking, but I guess

you do a lot of walking on an island

because you're not going to drive far, are you?

I've never been.

Sounds beautiful, by the way.

It is the third biggest island

in South Australia.

I mean, in Australia, 150 kilometers across.

Oh, there you go.

You live alone.

Every day is a school day.

But Ken, we understand

that you are considering the Zika 7X,

but Polestar has come back at you

with a pretty good offer

to stay into the family

with the Polestar 3.

Is that right?

Yeah.

So, I mean, they were pretty sad to see me go.

I've been a big fan

and kind of spokesperson

for them doing all that thing.

But so they offered me

a fully loaded, slightly used 3.

You know, the performance package

with Napa Leather and everything like that.

But I turned them down

and I went with the Zika.

Really?

So it's the deal's done.

Is it the deal's done?

Wow.

Yeah, I've ordered it.

Yeah.

So when will you be getting that one?

January.

Oh, really?

That long?

So, and you intend, I assume,

to do what you're still doing

and going on the big, long road trips

for in the Zika 7X.

So tell us what was it about the 7X

that made you think,

well, you know, I'm leaving Polestar

to take up this new vehicle.

Yeah.

Especially giving your love for the Polestar.

Yeah, it was a really hard,

bittersweet decision.

I guess it is kind of keeping in the family

because they're all owned by Julie anyway.

It was mainly the features of it

and just trying something new.

It's a new car.

So I thought it'd be interesting to, you know,

look into and, you know,

have that content of what it's like

to drive that car.

It's just got so many features.

So I went with the all-wheel drive,

which is a lot of people saying I'm foolish.

I should have gone with the long-wheel drive

because the, you know, from what I do,

the long range one probably would have been better.

But yeah, I mean, it's just got so many features.

One of the big things is it's got camp mode.

So I quite often sleep in the car.

Polestar, you can only turn on the climate for 30 minutes

and then it turns off.

Right.

It's got a retractable shade on the sun screen,

on the sunroof.

Yeah.

And it's a nice, nicely appointed car too.

Quite a nice looking car

and like touch of luxury I feel in it too.

Yeah.

So, you know, just before I made the decision,

I went and sat in both.

I mean, the Polestar 3 is kind of next level

in terms of quality and style,

but the Zika's pretty damn good in terms of the finish.

Yeah.

And, you know, for what you get,

like you get knack of leather,

you get, it's got automatic doors.

It's got air suspension.

Yeah.

Well, it's just a long list.

We've driven the Zika.

Well, no, we haven't got the 7X.

I'm not the 7X.

We've driven the X.

The X, yeah.

But it's a premium, high quality car.

But, you know, the 7X is like a 70 odd thousand

if you go the top end.

The Polestar 3 is like 115.

Were they not close to meeting in the middle there?

Was it not something that swayed you

if they were doing a good deal on the Polestar?

The Camp mode, I reckon, got him over the line.

Well, the Camp mode.

I mean, with the Polestar that they're offering you,

there's a $150,000 car.

You know, it had 5,000 Ks on it.

It was an X executive car.

The Zika with everything that I'm getting on it

is just over 80 grand.

Okay.

So, yeah.

But it was, I mean, the Polestar 3

is also not quite as efficient as the Zika.

Okay.

So, there was that.

And, yeah, like I said, it was a really difficult decision.

But I actually love my Polestar.

But this Polestar is an amazing car.

I really do love it.

It makes someone very happy.

It's killing me because of what I'm going to have to get rid of it.

Scott and Larissa of Polestar will be gutted to see you go.

We'll get text messages from them very, very soon, I'm sure.

What's your charging been like for those 50,000 Ks?

Because you're doing slow charging now

because obviously you're going places where there are no charges.

So, I'm getting to battery health.

Where do you think the battery health is going to be on that Polestar?

Have you thought about trading it in?

How are you getting rid of that car?

Because battery health certificates and those kind of ideas?

Yeah, so I just actually had it serviced

and they said that battery health was all good.

They didn't actually give me a figure.

I mean, it's still pretty much getting the range of what I bought it.

So, I can't really have been...

I mean, that's the bottom line, isn't it?

So, I'm not going to push the button.

But I just...

Well, I was hypermiling it today doing 90 Ks an hour

and having to dodge the road trains.

But I'm getting just 13.9 kilowatt hours per 100,

which is pretty amazing.

And so, this stretch today was 400 Ks,

the longest stretch that I had to do.

When I left this morning, the car was telling me

I'd arrive at the destination with a 0%.

But it's since climbed back up

and now I'm going to get there with 22%.

Wow.

And about 100 and something kilometers range.

So, hypermiling makes a huge difference.

Yeah, hypermiling.

So, just describe hypermiling for people who are new to EVs.

There's all these new terms they're learning,

but basically, it's about getting the most from your car.

Basically, it's just going slow, really.

You know, not pushing it uphill fast

and just sitting on below 100.

So, if I sit on below 100, I'll get 500 Ks.

If I do 110 or 112, then I'll get closer to 400.

So, you basically get an extra 100 Ks by dropping at 20 Ks.

By having patience.

Yeah.

That's a good tip.

Yeah, it's actually a lot more relaxing driving 90 Ks.

Now, you get to see a lot more on the road slides.

I don't actually mind it.

Is it easier to hypermile, though,

in this remote rural area of Australia

than it is on a freeway where...

You know, my thing about going slow is

the car's coming past me.

And I'm like, jeez, I could be there quite.

Do you know what I mean?

Is it easier when you're on a proper country road

and you don't feel that way?

Well, the last two days, it was pretty easy

because these were really remote roads

and there weren't many cars at all.

But just today, I hooked back into the Great Northern Highway

and there's so many road trains.

Like, literally, you know, they have these mining trucks

with five things on there.

So, I've just been...

I don't want to hold anyone up.

So, if I see them coming up in the rear-view mirror,

I just pull off the road, basically, and let them go.

But yeah, hypermiling on, say, like, you know,

the M1 or whatever the road that connects Sydney to Brisbane,

that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Also, I feel it's very unnatural.

I mean, because this car's got 300 horsepower, right?

So, I mean, normally, I'm going as fast as I can go legally,

but now, not so much.

When I did my lap of Australia,

you were asking me about that before.

Yeah, I mean, that got rid of my range of anxiety completely

because there's a charger every 200 kilometres,

literally everywhere, even through the PIL brand,

through, like, the Kimberleys.

Wow.

Yeah, so they have a lot of...

What's the availability like in those...

So, we've all looked at highways sitting in Melbourne

and all those kind of common places,

but when you go up there in the Pilbara,

the northern part of Western Australia,

northern territory, even far north Queensland,

and there are chargers because, you know,

government essentially incentivised, you know,

every 200 kilometres, as you say,

are there any availability concerns?

Like, is there any one plug and what about...

On a trip like that, what about actual working chargers

versus broken ones?

Did you encounter that a lot?

Yeah, so that is an issue.

I just crossed the Nullable,

and there were some issues with the chargers

because they're all tied into the Roadhouse Generators.

These are off-grid areas, right?

So, there's no grid power,

and so one was completely shut down

because the Roadhouse decided to shut it down,

and then I had to backtrack 60km.

Luckily, I had enough to do that.

Up in the Kimberleys, there were a couple of ones smashed

because they were just right in the middle of town,

not protected.

But generally, you always kind of...

You know, because there are every 200km,

and my car does 400km,

you kind of plan, and you always have plan B,

so plan B is the caravan park.

And a slow charger.

I say plan F is the flatbed.

Well, hopefully you haven't had to do that, Stan.

You've done more kays than most people.

You've probably seen more of Australia than most people at all,

let alone most people with electric cars.

And you're in line for what appears to be

an absolutely stunning car with the Zika 7X.

So, Matt, I feel like we need to talk in February, March,

when you've done some kays on the 7X, my friend.

Yeah, that'd be good.

You know, actually, interesting this trip.

I've had more people come out to me and just ask me about it.

Like, how long does it take to charge?

How far does it go?

So, I think there's a growing curiosity

people want to find out and learn more.

And so, you know, especially through these remote areas,

when you pull up in your fancy Volvo,

they kind of turn's heads.

But I thoroughly enjoy it.

And, you know, I get really annoyed

when people talk about getting hybrids and range anxiety

because you really don't need it.

I mean, there's age cases,

if you're carrying a caravan and stuff like that,

but don't bother with the hybrids.

They're garbage. Just get a nerve.

Well, if there's not a person who hasn't set the example

that, you know, range anxiety is a myth,

it's our man, Stan.

Hey, Stan, last question real quick.

What do you listen to on these long drives, my friend?

Loaded question, by the way.

I listen to YouTube music,

so I have my own curated playlist

and, like, the car runs on Optus,

but I have the Android Auto

and I just listen to YouTube music and whatever.

I'll give you another Trevor.

And your podcast.

That's what Trevor was angling for there, Stan.

Yeah, sorry. I'm a bit slow.

We're trying to go for a promo.

Grab there.

Geez, would have made the promo.

I should have been on it.

I'm joking, Stan. That's all good, mate.

Enjoy it, mate.

Lovely to hear from you.

Enjoy the last few months with your Polestar,

and it will go to a very, very lucky owner

because it's a beautiful car.

And we look forward to speaking to you next year

with your 7X from Zika, mate.

Sounds good.

Keep up the great work with your show, guys.

Good on you, mate. Cheers. That's awesome.

What a great call.

Good on you, Stan. Thanks, mate.

That's awesome.

I mean, that's just the passion there.

But also too, mate.

Like I said, he's, like, he has range anxiety.

People are buying hybrids, you know?

What's that?

Range anxiety? What's that?

He's driven around Australia in an electric car.

Come on.

I will say, though.

I mean, imagine you took Joe on a road trip

across the top to see Aaron in Broom, right?

Yeah.

And you came across two towns where the charges were broken.

You had to backtrack.

Yeah.

Mate, that'd be the last trip I'd do with a man.

Well, you know what?

That's just part of the deal, I guess.

It shouldn't be.

I guess he hasn't had to do it.

It shouldn't be, right?

I love how he says plan A, plan B,

and plan F is the flat bit.

That's funny.

All right.

We'd love to hear from you any time.

0-4-7-7-6-5-7-6-5-7.

We're welcome to take invitations

to go to any factory anywhere in the world.

Ferrari included.

Sure.

I'm happy to be.

It doesn't happen often.

Yeah.

So very grateful for that opportunity.

Remember when we were at the BMW?

Yeah.

BMW took us across.

They were smart.

They took the two blokes over there.

Absolutely.

And also thanks for your calls.

0-4-7-7-7-6-5-7-6-5-7.

Lovely to hear from Ken and Stan.

What a legend.

Yeah.

That's a lap of the map and more.

Oh, yeah.

Well, just really dispelled that range anxiety rubbish.

You know, he said himself, he goes, what's range anxiety?

You can charge anywhere.

He crossed the Nullarbor in an EV.

Yeah.

He's driven 3,000 kilometers from home

and he's not even there yet.

Yeah.

Wherever he's going.

You can do it.

All right.

Thanks very much for joining us.

Get in touch.

Thanks for voting for 0-4-7-7-6-5-7-6-5-7.

We'll talk to you next week.

Thanks.

093 - A Ferrari Electric Car? Exclusive chat with Ferrari's product lead

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