Electricity isn't just expensive

[nzoomed]

How much capacity of panels do you have?  I would imagine you would need about an extra 10kW to charge your vehicle?
I wonder how much RuCs will stack up going forward?

The installation mounted on top of a shed that is in the Solar One link I posted above is us. 9.5kW of panels feeding a 8.2kW inverter. The excess of panels is to boost generation during off peak sunlight times. We upgraded for 5kW of panel capacity so that we had sufficient to fully supply our 7kW EV charger and combined with a Paladin diverter which controls our HWC we are able to limit the amount of 'excess' generation that needs to be exported/sold to the grid. There's quite a bit more detail than that but suffice to say our PV is more than enough to charge both our EVs. We have actually been caught with our EVs (3 ATM as we're still to sell an older Leaf) and the HWC max'd out over the past week and been left with no choice but to export.

10kW is the largest PV capacity that can be connected to the grid without having to export at wholesale electricity rates, and 5kW is as much as most lines companies will allow to be exported per phase. Due to the relatively low export tariffs offered by most electricity retailers maximising your self consumption is key to economic return and this situation results in designing PV systems to absolutely minimise contributing to public supply which is a negative outcome in what is a country that is hunting for additional generating capacity as we increasingly all electrify our lives. We are currently considering a change of electricity provider due to the significant changes our PV upgrade has made to our consumption and export habits.

The whole RUC thing is a hot topic in EV circles and Simeon Brown's recent statement sounds like it is essentially a leak of information from the governmental discussions currently going on over this issue. A distance based RUC system for all road vehicles seems like the most likely outcome. This captures hybrids, and particularly PHEVs, which currently enjoy a discounted if not free ride on RUCs. A distance system, like diesels currently have, would need to include removal of the Road Tax portion of the Fuel Excise Tax (essentially the RUC component) to balance things up and would have the advantage of removing road taxation for boats, power tools and off road vehicles. The NZTA RUC system is already struggling to administer RUC monitoring and collection so some sort of electronic vehicle monitoring system is on the cards, as hinted to by Simeon.

The likely RUC rate for all <3.5T vehicles, including EVs, is most likely to be similar to the 7.c/km rate that diesels pay, and petrol FET equates to for the average petrol consuming vehicle. The fact that this system would be counterproductive on an emissions basis, as a Mini would be paying the same as a V8 is most easily addressed by adusting the carbon tax component of various fossil fuels.

One comment in support of a GPS monitored (similar to ERoad) system for all vehicles is that this would be a powerful tool for collection of congestion charges, traffic control systems and would allow off road use of vehicles to be deducted from their RUC account.

Plenty of vigourous discussion in some circles as you can well imagine but come April 2024 we should have a better idea where this is going, if not full details of a new RUC system. We just have the minor inconvenience of an election between now and then.

Most EV owners aren't too concerned about the arrival of RUCs as it has been long expected and for those that home charge their EV energy costs are typically ~5c/km (or as low as 2c based on lost PV export opportunity) an extra 7c/km is hardly a deal breaker. For those that rely on public charging at up to 85c/kWh an extra 7c/km will bring their energy costs per km up to that of a petrol vehicle (~25c/km) as petrol prices rise through the $3 mark. The 'fuel' economics of hybrids aren't so low as EVs so expect some squawking from that quarter.

Sounds like you have a pretty good system, I would probably need about 15kW on total if I were to get an EV.
I worked out I could just squeeze 10kW of panels on the north side of my home and garage.
I think the RUC system does need reform, I think it would be a great outcome to have all cars pay a fair amount per km rather than your fuel amount.