NRMA is an Australian insurance and motoring organization. In this episode, they’re mentioned as a sponsor and as someone who can help with insurance for electric cars. They also talk about what they’re seeing in the EV market.
UNIDEN is a brand that makes dash cams. The episode recommends using one facing forward and one facing rear so you have better video if there’s an accident. It’s being mentioned as a sponsor/product recommendation.
A dash cam is a small camera that records your drive from inside the car. This episode recommends having one facing forward and one facing backward so you have video evidence if something happens. The idea is that rear footage can help clarify what caused a crash.
A test drive is when you actually drive the car to see if you like how it feels. With an EV, it can help you understand how it drives day-to-day and how the battery information works. It’s a practical way to decide before buying.
Range is how many kilometers (or miles) the EV can drive on one full charge. If the range estimate doesn’t really change after buying used, it usually means the battery is still in good shape.
They’re talking about how long the tires last. EVs can be harder on tires because they’re heavy and have instant torque, so some tires are made specifically for EVs.
They’re talking about the way some car dealers make extra money by adding extra stuff when you come in for service or promotions. The idea is that it can make the overall cost higher than you expect.
Kia is a car brand they bring up while talking about service deals. They’re using it as an example of how some brands try to get you to return for maintenance.
They’re comparing two business approaches: some companies earn most of their money when you buy the car, while older dealership-style businesses make money when you keep coming back for service. EVs often need less routine work, so that traditional loop can be weaker.
“Moving parts” means the pieces inside the car that physically move and can wear out over time. The host is saying fewer of those can mean less maintenance.
Brake pads are the replaceable parts that squeeze against the brake rotors to stop the car. The host is saying EVs can go a long time without needing pad or rotor changes.
Some cars use sensors to warn you about brake wear. But the host is saying you still often need a mechanic to check the pads by looking at them directly.
In an EV, “regenerative” braking means the car slows down while also recharging the battery. If you use it, you usually wear out the brake pads and rotors much more slowly.
Some tire brands sell “EV tires” made for electric cars. The claim is they handle the extra weight and strong acceleration better. The hosts argue about whether you really need them or if regular tires work just fine.
Low profile tires have a shorter “rubber wall” on the side. They can feel more responsive when turning, but they may be harsher over bumps. The host is using it as part of the argument about tire design choices.
Term
suspension error
The suspension is what connects the wheels to the car and controls how they move. If something’s off, the tires can end up wearing the wrong way or failing sooner. The host is linking a suspension issue to the tire problem they saw.
Wheel alignment is setting the wheels so they’re pointing straight and correctly. If it’s off, your tires can wear unevenly and you may feel the car pulling. The speaker is saying alignment was needed because the tire problem wasn’t just “bad luck.”
The treadway is the part of the tire that actually touches the road. If that tread gets worn down, the tire grips worse—especially in the rain. The host is describing a simple way to check how much tread is left.
The matchstick method is a quick DIY trick to guess how worn your tire tread is. It’s not super precise, but it can help you decide if the tires need attention. The host is encouraging simple checks between shop visits.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a pickup truck that runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It’s meant to keep the usefulness of a truck, like carrying things, but with an electric drivetrain. The podcast mentions it because it’s an EV truck people may have been able to get, depending on where they live.
They’re talking about bringing cars in from markets that use left-hand drive and then modifying them so they’re right-hand drive. That extra work costs money, so it’s only likely to succeed if there are enough buyers who really want those cars.
“Whole of ownership experience” means thinking about what a car will cost and require over the years, not just what you pay to buy it. That includes things like maintenance and what happens if something goes wrong.
Geely is a car company from China. The hosts mention it to make the point that newer brands may not have as much proven ownership history yet, so buyers have less information about long-term costs and support.
Concept
servicing maintenance
They’re talking about the ongoing costs of keeping the car running—things like scheduled servicing and repairs. For EVs, it’s still important to ask what maintenance you’ll actually need over time.
The Saturn Aura is a car model name. In this podcast, the mention sounds like it may be mixing up names with a different electric car called the “Aura 5.” So the key point is that “Aura” can refer to different cars, and the EV one being ordered is likely not the older Saturn model.
Car
GWM aura 5
The GWM Ora 5 is an all-electric SUV. The host is talking about how far it can drive on a charge and how fast it can charge—those are the two main things you care about with an EV.
“430 kilometers” is how far the car should be able to drive on one full battery charge. It matters because it tells you how often you’ll need to charge for your everyday routes.
DC charging is the fast way to charge an electric car at many public chargers. It usually gets you back on the road much quicker than charging from a normal home-style outlet.
“120 kilowatts” is how powerful the fast charger can be for this car. More power usually means faster charging, but the actual speed can still vary depending on the charger and how full the battery already is.
The infotainment system is the car’s main screen and controls for things like music, navigation, and settings. If it’s refreshed, it usually means the interface and features feel newer or work better.
This sounds like he’s talking about his home charging setup. The exact word in the transcript is a bit unclear, but it’s about how he plans to charge the EV at home.
A “granny charger” is a simple EV charger you plug into a normal home power point. It usually charges slower than a dedicated charger, but it’s convenient to use at first.
A seven kilowatt charger is a faster home charger for an EV. It can refill the battery quicker than a basic plug-in charger, as long as your car and home wiring can handle it.
A smart meter is an upgraded electricity meter that can track your usage more precisely. It can help you take advantage of cheaper electricity times (like overnight) if your plan supports it.
Off-peak and peak refers to time-of-use electricity pricing, where electricity costs more during “peak” demand hours and less during “off-peak” hours. EV owners often try to charge during off-peak to reduce charging costs.
A Dodge Charger is a car model made by Dodge. In the podcast context, “charger” likely refers to the device that charges a battery, not a specific electric version of the Charger. It’s mentioned because charging is a key part of owning an electric car.
A solar tariff is the payment rate you get for the electricity your solar panels produce. If it drops, it can mean less money from selling/exporting solar power.
The Porsche Cayenne is a popular luxury SUV. They’re using it as a style comparison—mainly the round headlight look—so you can picture what the new car resembles.
Car
GWM Tank 500
The GWM Tank 500 is a big SUV. Here they say it’s a plug-in hybrid, so you can drive it using electricity sometimes, but it also has a regular engine for longer trips.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a big SUV designed to handle rough roads and tough conditions. People describe it as a “tough” vehicle because it’s built for durability. In the podcast, it’s used as a reference point for a large, capable vehicle.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that has both an electric motor and a regular engine. You can charge it by plugging it in, so some trips can be done on electricity.
Sean Tyson is the person from NRMA insurance who studies cars and automotive trends. The hosts invite him to talk about what the latest data says about EV interest.
A “fuel crisis” means there was a big problem with fuel—like shortages or higher prices. The hosts use it to explain why people’s interest in EVs may have changed during that time.
Charging times are how long you have to wait to put enough electricity back into the battery. People worry it might take too long to charge when they need to drive again.
When they say “battery,” they mean the big electric battery that powers the car. Some people worry about whether it’s safe or will cause problems, but the hosts say those fears are often overstated.
Concept
myth
They’re calling out a rumor that people repeat about EVs. The point is that some scary stories get told in a way that makes it sound like the EV caused the fire, even when that’s not what happened.
“EV fires” means electric cars catching fire. The hosts mention how many such incidents have happened in Australia to help put the fear into perspective.
The “FBT exemption” is a tax break in Australia that can make EVs cheaper to own when they’re provided through work. It can encourage more people to choose EVs.
Term
MVES
“MVES” is an Australian government policy acronym mentioned as helping EVs become more affordable or attractive. In this discussion, it’s grouped with other incentives that speed up EV adoption.
“Aftersales” is what happens after you buy the car—like servicing, repairs, and getting parts. With EVs, those needs can be different, especially around the battery and electronics.
The “second hand market” means buying used cars. For EVs, knowing the battery’s condition is especially important, and the hosts think better battery checks could help used EVs sell more.
Residual value is basically what the car is expected to be worth in the future. If people trust EV batteries more, the car tends to hold its value better.
High mileage just means the EV has been driven a lot. The discussion is about whether lots of driving actually ruins the battery over time—and the claim is that it may not be as bad as people fear.
In this context, insurance refers to how EVs are priced and covered compared with petrol cars. The hosts are asking whether insurers treat EVs as meaningfully different vehicles (risk, repair costs, battery-related exposure) or whether they’ve reached parity with petrol models.
LIVE
This is Two Blokes talking electric cars with Steven Fenwick and Trevor Long thanks to NRMA
Insurance and UNIDEN. And we appreciate their support NRMA Insurance helping Australians
protect what matters most for 100 years or more and one of Australia's largest insurers of electric
vehicles. So if you're in the market for a quote just give them a call go online if your renewal
is up that's all we ask is that you give them the consideration of your time and see whether you
can get a good price. And of course UNIDEN smart dash cams if you have a car you should have a
dash cam front and rear. As Steven always says it's the rear camera that might show what happens
because so many accidents are rear wood face. Absolutely an award-winning camera too in design
and function. Great to have you company Steven. We're actually going to talk to NRMA later in the
show about the kind of growth in the market and what they're seeing stats wise over the last couple
of months since you know all the drama and the surge. People are discovering EVs or not discovering
they're sort of getting off the fence. They're moving more towards you know especially what's
happened in the last few weeks and months with the fuel crisis they're realizing hang on there's
another way to do this. The question will simply be how does it go from here because you know with
fuel prices back to kind of where they were how does it continue through July and August that's
going to be interesting. Yeah I think it's going to be well a lot of people realizing oh you know
people that may not have considered it they think oh let's give it a try and there they go
better than they thought and it's it's going to be uh yeah I think you're going to see a little
bit of a surge. Give them a test drive folks um 0477657657 is our number if you want to send us
a text we'll get you on the show we'd love to talk about your thoughts on electric cars your
ownership your journey whatever it might be wherever you are in the EV world we'd love to hear from you
Paul's on the line good day Paul. Good morning. Mate well where are you out in the world of EVs
are you an owner or an observer? Yeah yeah long time I've we've chatted a couple of times before
I've got two Model S's um bought them secondhand about five years ago one's nine years old one's
10 years old the best things we've ever bought. Still going strong. It's still charging to 100
percent what they did when I purchased them like five years ago the 70d charges to 325 and the 90d
charges to 425. Wow. So the numbers that you're getting quoted by the car in terms of range are
the same essentially as when you when you first got them and they were secondhand. Wow yes no
change um when it comes to tyres I'm getting 60 to 70 000 k's out of what I describe as normal
tyres not EV tyres and the best thing of the lot I don't have Tesla calling me up saying
bring it in to do maintenance they just say hey listen you see you got a headlight problem can we
fix it apart from that I never hear from them I hear like the people that well we had a Benz
at one stage but non-electric Benz and they'd take it in they'd service it they'd wash it
Benz and I'd do a car wash I'd paint the tyres it's the world's most expensive car wash
yeah and like on the Benz owner they don't know the deal and you you know you go to Kia off you
know we'll give you free servicing and this and I just heard from a bike that's got a got a BYD
roast about it but they want to see it every so often to service it and I say what for he says
I'd like to know because they charge me so much and like the the insurance we're paying on them is
absolutely ridiculous um we had a couple of claims so you know 4000 dollars on each
which wow you know it blows out but when you look at the car overall you wouldn't
drive any cars to come for this style it is a fascinating kind of point about the servicing
and we've had this conversation many times Steven's experience of getting it and a
detail receipt that mentioned in oil changes yeah is by the by but just in general terms I don't know
that the legacy car makers have yet shifted their business model like I think Tesla essentially
makes their money up front when they sell a car that's where they make their money whereas you
know the dealership model of decades old was broadly speaking just get the cars out there
and then have people come back and make money through servicing and that kind of stuff so
that model kind of doesn't exist if you can't really drag people back and the necessity to come
back it just isn't there and I think that's the experience we hear a lot Steven. I'm with you
in that like I was I went from a Mercedes to a Tesla and I can remember the Tesla and the
what impressed me about it was I remember they were telling me that there's only 1717
moving parts in the car right and this was a lot less and so that to me thought well I don't
I don't need this this won't need much of a much maintenance and even I've told this story before
I just out of habit booked the car in after 12 months the Tesla and I remember them contacting
me and saying how many k's you got on the car and I said oh there's only like 8,000 k's if that it
was like and they said well no you don't need a service they cancelled my service yeah so how
often do you hear that like Mercedes Benz I'm back with them now and I've got an EV and I think
they're still trying to hang on to that legacy model past post sales model to still make money
yeah yeah I don't know Paul I think that I think that's and look I people know my opinions of Tesla
generally but I think it's fantastic the way they treat the servicing and I think it's brilliant
the way they respect the fact that people don't need something done they won't force it upon you
yes and like when it comes to brakes like we've still got the well I certainly haven't changed
the brake pads or the discs because we're braking yeah we did so many road miles
like we do a thousand k's each week on each of them wow and we don't use the brakes and we don't
if we don't need I hear you but it's one area of a car where they're not that I've seen there's
sensors so you kind of need someone to look and you take the wheel off and look at the pads to
check that they are at a certain grade right and while a lot of people just drive EVs in a certain
way that is regenerative and doesn't use the braking I've got no doubt that that a lot of people
aren't turning on a regenerate high and they're using it like a normal car and they are using
the brakes so my I guess my my the way I would side with the car companies and this is at least
you want people coming in to have stuff just looked at just check just give it a once over but
it should be a very affordable once over that says okay it's all good you're on track
for this and this and the other thing I'd say to you Paul and you mentioned it just in passing
you mentioned tyres and you said standard tyres not EV tyres and I've got to tell you
on the Cooper I've just chosen to put I rang a when I went to get new tyres I said listen
they're 215 15s whatever they are and he goes that's a very strange tyre I'll have to order
them in I said that's fine I didn't mention that it was an EV because I went you know what I don't
want EV tyres again I actually think that that's that's worked against me on what's an EV tyre
like low profile I've got no talk to me about tyres whatever you do right it's about the the
makeup of the tyre and its ability to hold the weight right but I think that's a load of BS I
think that an EV specific tyre is frankly unnecessary and I'm happy to be challenged on that but
it sounds like Paul you the tyres on yours but were they on it when you got them second in?
I think one of them had the original tyres because the guy that owned it had done 38,000
Ks in 55 years and so we then we just had one blow out because of the suspension error
needed a wheel alignment and that's why if you have a look at the tyres on a lot of cars these
those they only go one direction so I changed my tyres so they go both directions so if I wear
on the inside I can swap it on and you know these are the smarts that you can pick up and
you're just like the sensors that are on them and things like that and just putting your hand
across the tyre and see if it's wearing flat on and just use the old matchstick method of checking
the treadway you know what it probably is Paul it's probably about educating ourselves again
and our family like I was talking to Jacko who drives the Cooper more than me I said mate okay
so from now on because we did the tyres again and I said mate listen let's get the advice from
the people and I want you to check it every month and then I want you to be responsible
for booking it in to have them rotated and stuff like that and it's also just simple maintenance
like and I know it's silly but the wiper fluid and whatever other fluids are available you should
just walk around the checks as you said just put your hand on the tyres and check things I think
that kind of personal maintenance is just as important as booking it in for a service so maybe
maybe that's what we should be advocating for too this is an important conversation too because
the this should be part of the thought process too for buying an EV yeah I know we've said it in
the past that it's all about how new the car is and it's an EV and all nice and rosy but
that's after thought of okay what's maintenance going to cost me what's involved you know if I
have an accident what are repairs going to be like they're really important considerations and
you've given us a great example of all the longevity first of all of the Tesla's and
the low maintenance that's required it was only last week we spoke to someone who just bought
yeah second hand Tesla I had very very happy Paul sounds just like you Paul so mate good on
you enjoy those you're gone I was just going to say 50 years ago PMG as it was then when it was
the phones and the post all in one lot they put out a program where they put the responsibility
of the vehicle onto the bloke driving it so it didn't matter if you're the first bloke or the
tenth bloke to drive that vehicle each day it was your responsibility to check the tyres
check the oil check the water they reduced their maintenance dramatically yeah and you think about
how many people before they get in a car do they check it well if you're in a Tesla you know it's
going to tell you what your precious are and things like that yeah exactly like you get in
these late model cars they do it all for you and if you just follow those things hey by the way
the F-150s yeah the Lightning company that was importing them and they're gone bust so they're
all they're all up for auction aren't they no they're coming out and it's interesting who's
actually selling them it's one of the guys that was working for them before all right okay they
still haven't come out there's only yeah I think slatteries have got three coming up yeah look I
think it's a tough business model to you know ship in a car and convert it to a right
hand drive and I didn't think it was ever going to work financially unless you're an absolute
enthusiast but yeah we'll keep an eye on it Paul thanks mate thanks for getting back in touch buddy
good to chat have a great day gentlemen thank you good on you mate great to hearing you next week
great to hear from you again mate cheers yeah I mean look it's as you say it's it's a whole of
ownership experience and there's also a lot like think BYD the Addo3 it's been around for a few
years now there's enough experience there for owners to inform new owners but Zika, Geely,
some of the newer brands there's not enough experience for people to for many they're an
unknown quantity aren't they to what's involved and the very important questions to ask I think if
you are buying a Zika and plenty of people are and those other brands that's an important question
to ask well what what am I up for servicing maintenance yeah if you have an accident like
they're the questions you need to ask when you're buying. Two blokes stalking electric cars we'd
love to hear from you tell us about your experience with maintenance, tyres whatever it might be
0-4-7-7-6-5-7-6-5-7-7 it's a text thanks to Vodafone or a whatsapp doesn't matter either way
we'll get you on the show
always a joy get in touch we'd love to hear from you Michael's on the line good day
Michael get it guys mate where are you at you're picking up a brand new car right here
yeah I'm picking up on Friday hopefully I've uh I ordered a GWM aura 5 the new electric car
which I just recently came so it's a thing the deliveries are coming this week and next week
as well and so the aura has been around for a while but is the aura 5 the SUV model a slightly
boosted one yeah that's that's the one it's it's a bit bigger than the cheetah rim aura
obviously some it's a bigger range as well I think it's it's 430 kilometer from memory
for this one it's got a higher DC charging of 120 kilowatts bigger in size and a bit bigger I think
it's a refreshed infotainment system with the I think the new software as well
Trevor and I have got the GWM page open now I'm going to ask Trevor a question
what car does that look like first reaction to what it looks or what car are the car it looks like
I mean it looks like a Porsche Porsche the rounded headlights certainly certainly have that look
about them but you know to me I remember the original aura I was not a fan of the original
aura on paper if you like so on the web but when I started seeing him on the road I'm like
that's actually a pretty cool little car so Michael take us through the the journey yeah
how did you settle on a GWM yeah yeah I mean I've been I've been looking like an electric car
for I think a couple of months mostly because I just bought a house which actually came with
solar panels and then I was looking at the node at least but I was not sure about it then then
this Middle East crisis happened and then you know I would just pull the trigger on mine says
and then I was looking at electric cars I think initially I test drove Chilli EX5
Chiku J5 also came and the MGS5 so I was actually about to pull the plug on Chilli but
but the problem was that I actually I already own a Chilli and Fank 300 which is which is a big
petrol SUV and I wanted to sell it off so I was driving to the local Chidon dealership and said
how much you can give it me for that and they asked me why are you selling it and I'm told I'm
looking for a vehicle and then they told me about this Chidon number of fives which I think
recently got launched yep it was the Melbourne Motor Show that was it's kind of unveiling yeah
yes I think it was just a couple of days after that and they showed me the specs and you know
I looked at the specs and I compared it with the basically Chiku J5 itself and because it's
pretty much the same price I think they bought this one yeah did you get the ultra it was 36990
wow that's decent I mean you've got to think about it that is a brand new car yeah for under 40
grand fully electric that's also got a bit of space like it's a decent bit of space inside
you're happy with the with the size obviously there's only three colors for this thing
quite a bright blue a green and a cream what did you land on that
oh I think it's uh from I think it's like five colors I reckon I got the black
oh thank god because on the website I can only see three oh it's in the ultra in the higher
version there's a pink a bright pink and a black yeah yeah that bright pink is pretty wild there
now how are you set up at home you mentioned you've got solar what are you thinking you're
going to do charging wise um I actually have got solar so but I'm I'm kind of looking at maybe
just use a granny charger for a while and see how it goes right on in for a month and then maybe
if I'm if I'm you know if I'm happy with that otherwise if I need more child then maybe I'll
I'll put a seven kilowatt charger and how does that going to suit your driving do you do a lot
of driving or is it just to get in there out and about occasionally what's what's your driving habits
like um mostly work from home but there's a couple of days where I have to travel from
Canberra to Sydney a lot okay so that's pretty much maybe a required bit of charging but I think
there's a lot of you know fast chargers on the way from Canberra to Sydney okay and it's
it's got decent DC charging I think 120 kilowatts so I think that's that's good enough for me
nice yeah I would I'd stop for a coffee in Melbourne or Yass and you're good to go no dramas
at all is Yass between Canberra and Sydney yeah okay yeah Trevor drives that way a lot
Michael obviously I don't but I go north more than but you know the great thing you've got in
favor is you mentioned you work from home a fair bit whenever you're at home that's all and that
sums up mate you're picking this car up in the middle of winter but don't don't use the first
month as a pure example because once you get to September October you're going to start to get
pure free juice for that beast and that is when you start to really feel the power of the decision
you've made yeah I think I think yeah you know that's the solar and I've also got some cheap
electricity rates from originals as well so that you've got an EV plan have you got the cheap
overnight charging um I actually unfortunately often maybe fortunately maybe I've got a basic
meter so it doesn't oh so you can't even do off you've got a smart meter yeah some people go that's
the best way to go because then you can't get lumped with the off peak and peak so it's actually
not a bad thing but the reason the challenge you've got is if you want to go a little bit up in the
world with things like your charger and if you ever want to do battery or anything you got to get
rid of the standard meter it's got to be a smart meter for it all to work but that's
look that's that's down the track that's that's a future thing you're lucky to have good rates my
origin for the business here it's just gone up ridiculous hello but my rates at home uh
I'm like energies right you've gone down except what about this just as a sidebar the solar tariff
is now down to three cents like they're basically saying don't bother generating any power we don't
need it it's unbelievable how you're getting just that was never a goal of mine I just wanted to have
those low of power bill as I could yeah I do want to make money but to get the best out of it you've
got to do everything during the day and that's okay if you're if you like us and you know my wife
can do things at home during the day but it can be a challenge well mate so you're picking up the car
this week I'm disappointed you didn't get the flamingo pink because now that's one outlandish
vehicle there Michael that would be a quite contrasting be a head to
mate good luck with the car keep in touch and let us know how she ends up for you
all right thanks guys good on you mate no worries at all that's excellent what a what a cool you
know I saw this at the Melbourne Motor Show when they when they unveiled it and it's it's got the
look of the aura so those kind of yeah circular headlights but didn't you think first thing you
thought of a always right a yeah it's like a Porsche Porsche Porsche Cayenne kind of
for me can yeah yeah yeah it's it's pretty it's got that look it's a round headlight so that does
it the rounded headlights yes I think it's the rounded headlights for sure and uh you're currently
in a GWM aren't you and I am I'm in a big tank 500 yeah that's a beast that's like Land Cruiser
style tell me about it wow yeah we'll be talking about it on the next show all right bring it on
that's a plug-in hybrid there and we're trying to get through as many cars as we can so we can
have the experience and we'd love to hear from you after this we'll talk how the NRMA are seeing
the electric vehicle market progress I don't want to get seasick but you know that was the
if you're watching on YouTube I apologize if you're listening in the car nothing nothing at all
happened you don't know what's going on so it's all good yeah we do the show thanks for the great
pillow at uni then dash cams and NRMA insurance and our guest our next guest is from NRMA insurance
we've spoken to him before is Sean Tyson the NRMA's insurance's head of automotive research
and it's been a big few months so we thought we'd touch base and see where the market's at
Sean great to be with you again mate hi Trevor hi Stephen good to be with you too
mate it has been a just roller coaster a few months we talked a little bit over the last few
months about some of the data you guys put out around the just the growth in inquiries because
it's an interesting measure we've obviously got sales data now that we've you know come through
several months since the since the fuel crisis began and there's no question the fuel crisis is
essentially retracted back to some sort of normality but just the very fact that you can
monitor insurance inquiries is a fascinating thing because it essentially did correlate to sales
yeah that's right and and guys what a change since we last spoke how much things have driven you know
11 u.s president has kind of done more to drive globally this us
without without trying yeah without any EV policy itself um it's it's been exactly what a lot of
people have been asking for in terms of policy decisions but you know it's it's it's huge it's
huge numbers it is and yeah we it's good that we can track this about the insurance quotes
people are asking for so they jump online they're considering an EV they go in they do a quote and
we can track that and it's more than doubled since the same period last year so if we look at
january to may 2026 compare it to same period 2025 it's more than doubled and it's it's
leading us to revise upwards our forecasts for what EV sales penetration will be in australia this
you mentioned uh the certain american president doing a few his actions driving the adoption of
EVs is it just that though is it i know that's that's a major major factor but do you think more
people are just sort of getting on board and thinking well this is better for my hip pocket
yeah absolutely i i think we saw it we do our changing years report and where we
measure consumer sentiment towards EVs we did the last 12 years ago
people were sitting on the fence that they were that they wanted to buy an EV because
they were hearing it was good for cost of ownership they liked the sustainability
aspect of it the cars starting to come were cool but they weren't quite sure this has just
been that tipping point and and people were just they were ready to jump into a battery electric
vehicle but just feeling some uncertainty and i think you know we we find it with electric vehicle
drivers they're smart they they look at the whole cost of ownership not just the upfront cost yeah
and they're saying you know what it's these high petrol and diesel prices that are now the tipping
point where i'm saying let's go and do you do you look back at the changing years report for
example and try and look at it through the lens of what's happening right now and try and identify
what might still be the barriers for people because we've started to break the barrier of price
is still expensive to buy an electric car but that that gap between a petrol and electric
equivalent has definitely narrowed but is is there obvious barriers other than the the the
overall ownership cost there are still barriers i think range anxiety is still one that a lot of
people who haven't driven an EV are concerned about those that have spent time behind EVs realize
you don't need to be that worried about it people are just uncertain about charging times and how
will it fit into my life the more they hear about people who've taken that leap and they start to
say i've owned an EV now for a number of months and you know what all those things i was worried
about with range anxiety or charging times they're actually not a problem i think i'd say the other
thing too is two other things actually what one's about the vehicle choice on the market and the
other one's about concern around the battery on the vehicle choice there's now over 100 EV models
on the market and and you know used vehicles now are starting to come through as well so people
by used cars are starting to see some choice but there isn't yet a car to suit every need
you are used some people are saying i can't quite get the car i want in the price range i want
that'll change yeah and the second one's about people's concern on the battery
people are starting to realize they don't need to be as concerned as they first thought yeah
it still comes up though doesn't it the myth of the i had someone a good friend's elderly mother
and we were just a kid sport and i was talking about EVs or my car or something and oh yeah but
the fires and i went hey what are you talking about what are you talking about yeah i said yeah
okay if we want to put scooters and things there's there's some stories but if you've heard a story
about a car it might have been a car that was in a garage of a house that burned down but it didn't
cause the fire it's it's still a big myth that's out there which is probably the next one i think to
bust because the range one is slowly being busted just by better ranging cars but the the battery
one is just still a strange basically unfounded myth really Sean absolutely no you're exactly right
and we know there's been 14 EV fires in Australia to date and this is out of what are we up to now
I think we're up to 400 000 EVs on Australian roads it's tiny and we work with a great outfit
called EV fire safe is that Emma I feel like we've spoken Emma yeah Emma so close and her team are
doing great work and they're looking into the cause of these fires so we know what's happened
with those 14 cars and often it's things like you know the car just was in a bushfire zone
the car was in a high impact accident the car was an arson attack there are some
we want to investigate a little more but you know we're talking tiny numbers here so your
point's absolutely right it's something that's become a myth way out of proportion to the reality
the findings are quite comprehensive what were there any surprises for you in this time around
the the thing for us was how quickly this transition has happened yeah that was probably
what was most surprising that the growth in people looking at electric vehicle insurance
quotes and just seeing that how quickly that happened that was probably the most surprising
thing and it I think it's just we're starting to see three factors now nicely come into play
there's the supply a lot more supply of electric vehicles into the market there's government
policy around the MVES the fbt exemption all of those things and then there's now that consumer
demand and also we're starting to work quite nicely but that that how quick that transition was
from March was surprising one of the things that we've talked to you a little bit about
is the the aftersales part of the the EV market into the servicing and and repairs
the other one that's been fascinating to us that we've followed because we've spoken to
brennan green from pickles a few times is and think about well our show this show's gonna be
going a couple of years and what we've experienced in these conversations just in that time for
example with brennan is we go from talking about how hey you know there's there's more cars and now
there's a lot more cars and then they've got battery testing and now they know about battery health
that's a really interesting side of the market and you think about the aftersales or the second
hand process for a buyer that idea of a battery test is going to be a game changer for that
second hand market which is yet to really boom but it's certainly having its day
absolutely yeah you're right the battery testing I think has been a game changer
it gives people that confidence they need and I fully understand why people are nervous
replacing a battery in an EV can cost you anywhere from $20,000 to over $100,000
people don't want to be up for that cost people are now starting to realize that these batteries are
quite healthy well into their life and they don't need to be concerned so you're right that battery
testing has been a big change and I think that together with the increased consumer interest
you know general Australians thinking I'll buy an EV has driven up residual values which is great
and we've spoken last week to a guy that bought a second hand Tesla just early on the show like
that owns a couple of older second hand Teslas and it's there's just no there's no concern in
their voice for the battery's ability or range there's all it requires essentially is an acceptance
that you've got an older car with a lower range a more modern car is going to have more range
because they're building better more dense batteries with better technology in them fine
but the the idea that a car battery just stops working is just false it's a complete falsity
isn't it and that that's that messaging is going to take time I think as part of the
continued transition to EVs that's right yeah I think I think we're all learning that batteries
won't need replacing often if at all yeah even on these high mileage electric vehicles that we're
now starting to see you know remember they yeah EVs are still relatively new and there's not a lot
of old high mileage EVs out there we're starting to see some so yeah yeah people are realizing
you know we're all sort of got that training as humans to be scared of the big bad bear that's
going to come out okay and we're starting to realize this isn't a big bad bear it's uh
it's it's not something to be worried about sure not just one last question uh he's obviously the
insurance space is quite a competitive one and NRMA no doubt you as you mentioned a lot more
people ensuring their EVs more than ever uh it can can people now shopping for an EV think that
when I do shop for insurance is my car is going to be considered the same as a regular petrol car
have we reached that point yet where there are enough drivers on the road uh with EVs to because
I remember years ago I'm talking 89 years ago when I got my first EV it was considered a
high-powered vehicle and was sort of needed slightly higher insurance but have we reached a
point now where EVs and petrol cars can kind of be considered to be almost the same it's getting
much closer we're still seeing some of the data slightly different repair times for instance
are still slightly longer than for combustion engine cars but we know why and we're working
to solve that so we think that will come down we research the research center we have in Sydney
we we research the new electric vehicles and we've now covered over 95 of the EVs that are
available in Australia based on sales volumes um so we're able to really understand what it is about
each of those popular EVs and we want to then be there to ensure them and be there for people who
want an insurance product for their EV yeah just finally um you mentioned the changing gears report
which we we covered comprehensively uh kind of both parts of it as it's come out and you mentioned
it's kind of a couple of years old now um I I imagine you had a plan to continue and do that
again but has this you know rush of EVs uh and this current market does it make you think we
should probably touch base and get back into that data and and do another round um yeah stay tuned
I guess is what I could say um but we have we have planned one even ahead of all the changes that
have taken place over the last couple of months um we'll have something coming out very shortly
it's been worked on right at the moment so that was in the plan to do it it's it's it's just going
to be so fascinating to unpack the change in the in the mood of people around this whole thing
absolutely it will yeah it will be really interesting to see that change awesome stuff
mate Sean uh Sean Tyson is head of automotive research for NMR insurance mate we always appreciate
your time and uh and knowledge and uh we look forward to speaking again no doubt and very soon
thanks Sean thanks Trevor thanks Stephen good to be with you cheers uh there you go um it's it's
just such important data and oh yeah it doesn't doesn't help to just talk about it you've got a
you've got to get the research and the data and that's what they're doing is actually trying to
understand the market uh they're proactive in the whole thing you're like we've we've known for a
long time they're they're trying to get all the repair places to be your sort of up to speed with
or every when you know that's when you're called insurance they will you need help we think about
data there's no doubt they know exactly like how many hours and days it takes to repair a car and
they they want to bring that gap down because it's it's absolutely it's in their best interest
two blokes story electric cars we'd love to hear from you uh 0 4 double 7 6 5 whatever
your uh your part of the electric car journey we'll do it all again next week Stephen here on
two blokes story electric cars I'll be here thank you
About this episode
Range anxiety, charging confidence, and battery-fire myths get unpacked alongside real ownership stories. Callers and hosts compare long-term used Tesla Model S experiences, tire wear, and how regenerative braking can reduce brake work. Michael shares his upcoming pickup of a new GWM Ora 5 SUV, including its 120 kW DC charging and ~430 km range, plus what to ask about servicing and accident support. The discussion then pivots to EV insurance research, repair-time data, and why battery testing could reshape used EV values.
This week we hear again from Paul who raises a valid point about EV servicing costs and the considerations you need to make!
Michael has a brand new GWM Ora5 which is as new as they come, but what colour did he get?
We catch up with Shawn Ticehurst - Head of IAG Automotive Research Centre to talk about the rush in EV sales over recent months.
We'd love to hear from you, text us, thanks to Vodafone on 0477 657 657
