EVs – the basics

Electric cars are fast becoming readily available – but if you’ve so far been left out of this new trend, then read on! Perhaps you aren’t familiar with the basics of EVs or you are on the cusp of making your first Tesla purchase, either way, the basics of electric cars are a must know for anyone.

Electric vehicles – or EVs for short – are vehicles that use batteries for energy storage and an electric motor to convert said energy into motion. Pure EVs – such as our Tesla rentals – only use batteries, but you also get hybrid electric vehicles which use a combination of plug-in batteries and a small petrol engine. 

Electric vehicles – particularly our Tesla rentals – are robust, and their maintenance schedules look very different from traditional petrol or diesel vehicles. Both brakes and tyres need to be checked – and servicing is needed, but not quite as frequently as your traditional cars.

Types of EVs are classified depending on the extent to which they use electricity as their energy source – is it their only source of energy or not? Of course, the type of EV that you choose to drive will depend on which one best fits into your lifestyle. We love our Teslas – even more as a rental!

Our Tesla rental fleet are all battery electric vehicles or BEV – they are fully electric and only use electricity as their source of energy. And our Tesla rentals in Sydney have zero emissions – meaning they are kinder to our environment.

Charging! Probably the first question on your lips is how exactly do you “fill” up your EV. Charging your EV is actually simpler than you might think – sure it’s an adjustment from what you grew up with but once you know the ins and outs you will be fine! There are a couple of ways you can go about charging your Tesla EV – either at home or at one of the charging stations in the EV charging network. If you’re not sure where a charging station is located, have no fear! Your Tesla will navigate you to your closest or most convenient location.

How far can you go – your range matters. The range is the distance that you can travel in your Tesla rental from one charge. We wrote another post looking into the range more in depth – but the basics are simple! Charge your EV and see your estimated range – the exact range will differ depending on a number of factors (such as your own driving habits) but after a couple of trips you will get the hang of it.