When Steve Gill decided to buy one of a very limited number of electric T3 vans from BYD importer EV Direct he had to make the unusual decision of driving it unregistered (but with a permit) from its pickup point in Sydney to Perth in just five days, the longest time period a permit can cover.

Even in a combustion car this is a serious road trip that requires a fair amount of planning, but in an all-electric van with just 300km nominated driving range, along one of the sparsest routes in the world in terms of charging infrastructure, the planned trip was no trifling jaunt to the shops and back.

Gill took some time out to explain to The Driven just why he wanted the T3 electric van so much that he was willing to take on one of the most arduous EV journeys one can choose, just to get his hands on one.

But first, the basics: when EV Direct (then under the umbrella of Nexport) opened up orders for the BDY T3 van in mid-2021, it was the cheapest EV available new that Australia had ever seen. There was just one problem: only two score or so were to be imported.

But with similar specifications to the Nissan eNV200 and a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) Blade battery under the floor, Gill decided it would suit his desire to move away from a gas-guzzler and provide a zero-emissions campervan for some post-retirement freedom.

“I’ve long felt guilty driving a petrol car, albeit a 2 litre 4 cylinder getting more than 10km to the litre,” said Gill in a note to The Driven.

“Therefore I’ve been looking for opportunities to go electric but high prices and available vehicle types just didn’t suit, and the 2nd hand EV market hasn’t offered much when I’ve looked.  I was thinking of converting an old postal van (or similar) into an electric camper but couldn’t make the numbers work (not an exhaustive attempt though).”

He says that the fact the T3 is being used by DHL in China, and also as ambulances and taxis in other countries, convinced him that the T3 had enough pedigree to not only tick his personal boxes but also to make the cross-country trip. He was also impressed with the “nail penetration test” that BYD says makes the Blade battery the safest on the market.

“They must be rugged,” he says. “Australia’s cheapest EV (I have Scottish ancestors) had me sold.  I registered interest and later confirmed my order.”

Here are Gill ‘s answers to our Q&A about his trip, what challenges it presented and what he likes (and dislikes) about the T3 electric van (Spoiler alert: in fact, the trip ended up taking 12 days, with a stop in Adelaide required to renew the movement permit.)

I was forced to travel direct from source to final destination.  That’s a condition of the Movement Permit for an unlicensed vehicle.  Being a west Aussie, I can’t register a car in a different state, and I can’t register it in WA before it passes examination in WA.  Felt like Catch 22 squared.

Service NSW gave me the permit but limited the time I had to reach WA to 5 days.  They don’t work much with EVs going to WA, I expect.  They did their job according to protocol and I was grateful for their granting of the permit.

So I did my best to comply, although I was low on sleep from the trip over and working with a different route than I’d hoped for, such as a detour to Minnamurra River where I scattered my parents’ ashes, or a drive through Royal National Park, or to get a shot at the Kiama Blowhole, a favourite spot of my parents.  I also had to stop to sleep when I got drowsy.

“Go direct” would have meant Minto (Campbelltown, (outer?) South West Sydney suburbs to Barossa Valley Visitor Centre (last fast DC charger before WA) then up to Port Augusta and along the Eyre Highway to Border Village, SA, where I’d have to get a WA permit to drive direct to Perth.

However, the morning of day four found me in Waikerie, SA, on the banks of the Murray River, battery full after topping up on the caravan supply of Waikerie Holiday Park.  If this is the best I can do where there are fast chargers wherever I need them, I doubt I’ll get far from Adelaide before my permit runs out.  I decided I’d have to go into Adelaide and request another permit.

The specifics of which way to go depends on where to charge.  The app and website, PlugShare, makes this job easy.  Its Trip Planner shows me where all my charging options are, depending on which supply types I select, and once I’ve selected one, the distance from the previous way point is shown on the list.

If distance between recharges is further than my selected range, it highlights the sector in red on the list.  Easy.  I have heaps of fun with this feature.  Currently I’m planning to drive south this weekend to Albany for the AEVA Electrikhana.

It was an interesting experience.  I’d never charged an EV before arriving at the Mittagong charger, popped the little hatch, got out, looked at the charger, looked at the car, scratched my head a bit, looked again, looked around (nobody watching) then pulled off the rubber caps from the sockets in the car, took the CHAdeMO plug out, which looked different, put it back, took the CCS2 plug (gun) out and found the right angle to plug it in.

I heard some whirs then a click, might’ve been a beep, then watched the dashboard say connecting completed, charging started, I noticed a couple of English language errors and then we were off at around 40kW and remaining time under an hour.

The van has a stated maximum charging speed of 50kW DC (but I’ve seen higher numbers on the dashboard) and 6.6kW AC (but the best I’ve seen is 6.1 (maybe 6.2)).

For Chargefox in particular, it was fun.  That’s because Chargefox’s Peter Edmonds had seen my blog and contacted me before my trip and offered tech support (try to ensure my next few chargers were trouble-free, and to be on hand if I needed help).  It was great.

We had no issues, except he’d sent me an RFID card to use if network issues took a charger offline which would make the smartphone app unusable.  Covid has affected mail deliveries, so who knows where that went.  Might still be at Minto.

But, I have a TransPerth Smart Rider card for local public transport which uses RFID.  Peter was able to capture the card’s ID and add it to the database so that now I just use my SmartRider card to charge at any Chargefox site.  The billing works.

For AC charging, many of the charge stations have Type 2 plugs on cables, so it’s similar to a fossil fuel refill, take it off the charger and stick it into the car, but there’s no trigger to hold and no smell.  At other stations I needed to use my own cable.

I did a lot of research before the trip, so I took up EVDirect’s offer to source a Type 2 cable and bill me on the car sale invoice.  Easy.  It was in the van when I picked it up and worked well.

For other AC charging I chose to source my own charging controller and adapters.  I’d read praise on the forums of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) website for GELCO Services in Adelaide.

In my original plan I would be visiting Adelaide so I could pick up what I needed from them when I was there.  Phil Gell was really good to deal with, a good listener and able to offer good advice when I was on the wrong track.

I selected a single phase EVSE (charging adapter) with plugs for 32A 3-phase, 15A and 10A wall sockets.  I mistakenly chose not to buy a 20A 3-phase adapter but could have used it in a few places to get a faster charge and save time.  I’ve asked Phil to make me one.

When I learned that the van would not have its own “granny charger” I realised I’d need AC capability before Adelaide, if only for security, for emergencies, if I got stuck out of range of anything but regular non-EV AC sources.  Phil was happy to post them to EVDirect and they were in the van too when I got there.  It was about $80 for postage which is pretty good.  They’re a bit on the bulky and heavy side.

PlugShare works better if you use it properly.  I rolled up for a fast charge at the Barossa Valley Visitor Centre only to find the charger is in the middle of a construction zone and therefore inaccessible.  Yes, it’s been noted in PlugShare for some time.  Luckily the AC ChargeFox unit at Gawler Visitor Information Centre was well within range.  Slower but available.

A couple of times I came across caravan parks that had 3-phase outlets available for charging electric vehicles.  This was in the stage where I was timing my journey to coincide with the full opening of the WA border on March 3rd.  If I crossed before that I’d have to maintain Covid isolation protocol and since there was only a day or two to delay I made the best use of my time and slowed down a bit.

So I tried out the 3-phase outlets briefly, but then I left the 3-phase in case someone else needed it and moved to a powered site for the night, trusting that I’d be fully charged by the time I left.  There’s not a huge difference between 6kW (7 hours) and 3.6kW (12 hours) if you’re staying overnight and in no hurry.  A vehicle with faster AC charging speed would get better value from the more powerful supply.

I haven’t tallied the cost yet.  The refill on used fryer oil at remote Caiguna WA was the most expensive at $50 (for 200km range in my case, but I think it’s a set fee, mostly to cover labour costs, where calling out the mechanic after hours to prepare/start/monitor/stop/pack up the “Bi0Fil” system can run to 4 hours at whatever rate applies.  (Their chips are fantastic, by the way, and the generator fumes smell delicious 😀

Remote Madura Pass Oasis has a University of WA 25kW DC charger on a 3-phase circuit.  I seem to remember $10 per hour donation to The Flying Doctor Service.  I went over the 2 hours but they were happy with $20.  I wasn’t, so added a $10 donation to be fair.

Balladonia has the same setup as Madura, but I think I had to photograph the summary screen at the end of charging and pay $1.00 per kilowatt hour.  Reasonable for a full charge in about 2 hours in a remote location where my fastest charge on AC 3-phase (due to limitations of the van) would take 6-7 hours.

Say it was for a “full tank” – 45kWh – that’s $45 for over 180km at top speed (103km/h) vs 15l premium in my ex-Merc C180 from 2001 (which was way more efficient at highway speeds compared with my new tall square-backed vehicle.)  15 litres at say $2.20 is $33, so petrol’s cheaper here.  A BYD Atto 3 or Tesla model 3 would probably travel a lot more km on that 45kWh.

But most of the charging was free.  The NRMA network from Sydney to Adelaide is amazing.  And still free, for all.  Jolt and ChargeFox are about 40c/kWh (around 90c/litre if using 10l/100km for comparison).  Where the only option was a caravan park (where a full charge from a 15Amp socket takes 12 hours or so, the power is included in the price of the site.

At home I’m trying to charge only when the solar is running, but otherwise 28c/kWh (which I think equates to 75c/litre).

It just works.  I expected a basic utility vehicle with no frills at that price and I got that.  After nearly 5,000km I’m comfortable in the van, very much still learning its quirks and features.

Today I realised that I really enjoy the seamless nature of accelerating and decelerating.  I usually shift down to slow down in a stink-car – auto or manual.  Comes from my early days driving manuals I guess, despite knowing that wear and tear on gearbox and clutch is more expensive than changing brake pads and maybe rotors.  Now when I decelerate I’m recovering energy and saving brakes.  What gearbox, what clutch?

I love that I can leave the aircon running when my wife is waiting in the car while I do shopping or whatever, and it’s not making noise and it’s not cooking the planet with greenhouse gas.  I used always to fret if I needed to keep the engine running to keep the car cabin at a bearable temperature.

The 4-way power board that plugs into the Type 2 charging port is a big bonus.  Although there is no spec sheet for it, I have boiled water on an induction unit at 2000W.  The T3 just gave me the power, even with the “ignition” turned off.

Cruise Control.  I believe I could achieve greater range on the open road if I could just set and forget the speed.  I would pay a few hundred dollars for this – I use it in town and on highways in other cars and it has saved me hundreds in speeding fines too

Adjustable top speed.  The spec says 100km/h, but my navigator says 103km/h.  I understand that a higher top speed capability would affect negatively the range rating for the van, but there are times when I was sorry I couldn’t go faster (to get past a caravan travelling at 95, or to speed up temporarily to get to the next suitable overtaking stretch for the Road Train coming up behind me).

Faster Charging.  I’d love a true 3-phase charger in the van.  I imagine it would add $10,000 to the price though, and if so I would stick with the slower version for the sake of up to 4 hours extra charging time.  But it would be really nice to have.

Spare wheel storage, tools storage.  The spare wheel was an unknown in the early stages and alloy rims for the 4 on the road was confirmed at a late stage.  The spare is in the usual screw-down tray under the back floor and the mechanism is secure and works well.

But at somewhere beyond 20 turns of the screw you get to the end of the thread and the whole screw mechanism separates into 4 pieces (tray, hook, cylinder and bolt).  It was a bit awkward to reconnect it all by myself, but I’m not a mechanic.  Solution: count 20 turns and stop, or get a friend to help.  I haven’t found where to store the wheel brace, jack safety triangle etc, so it’s in a cardboard tray on the floor in the back.  I’ll get a box for them.

Just invest the time to plan your journey, and make sure to have a backup option for each charge station.  PlugShare is your friend.  Know your range.  If you’re heading West of Adelaide you can’t rush it.  Plan to enjoy it.

Also, charge the battery only as much as you need.  I only had one occasion, in Yass, where another driver needed to charge from the station I was using.  I should have disconnected when I had enough to reach Jugiong plus 10% and let him get back to work, range testing the Mazda for a Federal review.  Next time I will.

While planning my trip for the Electrikhana in Albany I realise I still haven’t recovered from the long drive from Sydney.  I feel a bit irritated that I’m constrained by charger availability, so there’s not a lot of route options.

I estimate my charging needs to be a bit over two hours, but I just want to get to Albany as quick as I can on Friday so I can set myself up to do a good job on display.

I’ve booked Friday and Saturday nights at a caravan park to be sure I can leave Albany with a full battery (LFP batteries don’t mind getting full, I understand).  Albany, despite its relatively larger size, doesn’t have any DC chargers, so everyone will take hours to charge unless they have the range to drive another couple of hundred (almost) km to the next DC charger.

Maybe Albany’s on the list for the next tranche of DC chargers the state govt has promised by the end of 2024.

Gill’s next stop is the 12th annual Electrikhana on the 26th March in Albany, Western Australia. You can read Steve’s blog about his trip in full at BYD T3 Campervan.

This article has been updated to correct the make of the eNV200 and clarify the trip ended up taking 12 days.

Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model 3 and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.

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