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BEV powered by wind

Powered by Wind EnergyBEV Castlemaine plant and the servers hosting this website are powered by 100% wind power.
So your Electron is even more environmentally friendly.

Electron owner NZ Environment Minister proposes removing Road User Charge on electric cars

Extract of a speech in NZ Parliament by Environment Minister Nick Smith
July 2, 2009:
“The last point I want to make about electric cars is that they are beautifully quiet. I have one of the Nick SmithHyundai Getz electric cars, which was manufactured in Australia by Blade Electric Vehicles. The greatest danger of this car is that it cannot be heard. It is as silent as a baby. One has to be quite careful when one is around pedestrians. It is so quiet, and that is an added advantage. I also note that New Zealand is in a unique position to be able to advance electric car technology. The reason is that if someone has an electric car and the electricity that is used to charge its batteries is produced from burning coal, we are going backwards. Sure, we do not have the emissions going out the tailpipe of the car; we have it going out of the coal-fired power station. Where New Zealand is uniquely placed is that it has a higher proportion of its electricity produced from renewables than anywhere in the world. If there is any country that can get real climate change benefits and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the transport fleet, in moving to electric cars, it is New Zealand. That is why it makes good sense.”

Electron pays for itself over 5 years

There has never been a better time to buy an Electron!

Alans ElectronAlan Gray purchased a Blade Electron® in 2008 for use in his business, and has travelled over 20,000 trouble free kilometres. Recently he sent us this cost breakdown for the current situation, with surprising results!

$43,636 Purchase price ex-GST (which is claimable for company car). Full price $48,000.
Tax deductions over five years:
+ $9,599 22% depreciation
+ $7,847         ”
+ $5,840         ”
+ $4,555         ”
+ $3553         ”
= $31,034 Total deductions
- $9,310 Saving from deductions (at 30% company tax rate)
- $3,000 Servicing cost savings: $600 p.a. over 5 years
+ $970 ‘Fuel cost’ from GreenPower™ (20,000 km p.a.) – $194 p.a. X 5 years
- $11,700 Fuel cost of petrol equivalent: 9 litres/100 km @ $1.30/litre* – = $2340 p.a. X 5 years
- $21,280 Residual value after 5 years –
RACV-influenced estimate of 40%**
= $1396 (profit) Total Cost of Ownership over 5 years
*Assumes fuel cost will average $1.30 / litre over the next four years. This may well be higher.
**Battery life is a key determinant of the value of a secondhand electric car. A driving pattern of 60-75 km/day suggests a battery life of ten years. Two year old Electrons are already selling on the secondhand market for $32,000.

Senator drives Electron at Parliament House

In March 2008, Senator Lyn Allison was introduced to the Electron in Canberra, and took the car for a drive around Parliament House. She and Ross Blade then demonstrated the car to a number of other Senators, and several lower house Members.

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Blade Electron

In 2008 the first Blade Electron was sold under the name Blade Runner. Blade Electron was adopted in 2009 and remained in use until production ceased in 2011.