From 23 to 27 September we drove our BYD Atto 3 from Melbourne to Bright, on to Canberra and back: almost 1,500km, a 50 kWh battery, and two kids under four. Charging took eight stops and totalled $177.32.
The whole trip was better than I could’ve hoped.
The numbers
| Measure | Total |
|---|---|
| Public charging sessions | 8 |
| Total cost | $177.32 |
| Energy delivered | ~230 kWh |
| Time charging | ~4.5 hr |
| Average price | ~$0.77 per kWh |
| Average charge power | ~51 kW |
Costs are from my bank transactions; energy is shown in the apps with two here approximated.
Public chargers ran $0.75 to $0.85 per kWh, apart from the Tesla at Coolac at roughly $0.55. At home it’s closer to $0.20.1 Chargers advertise 150 to 300 kW. The Atto 3 tops out at 70 kW and averaged about 50.2
Day by day
Wednesday 23 September: Melbourne to Bright
The first charge was at the Ampol Foodary in Avenel on a 150 kW Evie charger, from 1:28 to 1:56 pm. It delivered 24.57 kWh and cost $19.91.
At 3:49 pm, we plugged in at BP Pulse, Glenrowan North. In 24 minutes it delivered 21.52 kWh for $16.14, leaving the battery at 85%, plenty to get to Bright.
Both spots doubled as breaks: toilets, food, stretched legs, a play area. For neither of these were we here waiting to charge longer than we wanted to be.
We arrived at Bright with about 40% or 20 kWh of charge. In retrospect we probably could’ve got away with a single stop but it was our first long trip so we played it safe.
Thursday 24 September: Bright
In Bright we used a 50 kW Evie charger, from 11:25 am to 12:00 pm. It delivered 25.14 kWh for $19.36. I went solo to charge it and grabbed some groceries from IGA and lunch so wasn’t actively waiting. Otherwise we walked everywhere in Bright and didn’t use the car.
Friday 25 September: Bright to Canberra
On Friday we made two charges just tapping with card, so I don’t have good data for them. First an NRMA station in Holbrook at about 10 am, which cost $29.60, and second the Tesla supercharging station outside Coolac at about 12 pm, which cost $14.59. Disconnecting took some googling; double-unlocking the car did it.
We arrived in Canberra with about 30% and slowly charged back up to 100% using home charging (about 1 to 1.5 kW of power) over the next few days which was free to us (it would’ve cost our host about $7-$10).
Saturday 26 September: Canberra
Questacon was fun!
Sunday 27 September: Canberra to Melbourne
Three charges on the way back.
Sunday meant three stops on the way home: Tarcutta, Wodonga West and Avenel. Avenel was the only annoying one. Four chargers, all busy, so I waited about 15 minutes. We’d arrived on about 10%, so there was no real choice but to chat with others waiting. It was the only time charging held us up, and the kids got out the colouring books and had a good time. We finally got to Melbourne on about 20%.
Would I do it again?
Yes, this gave me way more confidence for longer trips. If you do regular country trips the Atto 3 probably would get tedious. For us, doing it rarely, it was fine. More chargers would only help though.
All the charging sessions
| # | When | Stop (network) | kWh | Duration | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed 23 Sep, 1:28–1:56 pm | Ampol Foodary, Avenel VIC (Evie) | 24.57 | 27 min 57 s | $19.91 |
| 2 | Wed 23 Sep, 3:49 pm start | Glenrowan North, Hume Fwy, Wangaratta South VIC (bp pulse) | 21.52 | 24 min | $16.14 |
| 3 | Thu 24 Sep, 11:25 am–12:00 pm | 24 Wills Street Parking, Bright VIC (Evie) | 25.14 | 35 min 11 s | $19.36 |
| 4 | Fri 25 Sep, about 10 am | NRMA charging station, Holbrook NSW | ~37 (est.) | ~45 min (est.) | $29.60 |
| 5 | Fri 25 Sep, about 12 pm | Tesla charging station outside Coolac NSW | ~26.5 (est.) | ~30 min (est.) | $14.59 |
| 6 | Sun 27 Sep, 9:38–10:10 am | Ampol Foodary, Tarcutta NSW (Evie) | 28.83 | 31 min 47 s | $24.51 |
| 7 | Sun 27 Sep, 11:34 am–12:07 pm | 7-Eleven, Wodonga West VIC (Evie) | 30.75 | 33 min 35 s | $24.29 |
| 8 | Sun 27 Sep, 2:23–3:05 pm | Ampol Foodary, Avenel VIC (Evie) | 35.71 | 41 min 52 s | $28.92 |
