Advice

Every summer, thousands of Kiwis point their cars North and make their way toward the beaches that define the warmer months, Ruakākā, Waipū, Paihia, Kerikeri, the Hokianga.

Auckland is the busiest motoring region in the country, and over summer, that demand intensifies. Day trips to the beaches, long weekends towing boats, families crossing the Harbour Bridge, caravans heading north or south, and commercial vehicles working through the heat.

When people think about hybrid vehicles, the focus is usually on the high-voltage battery pack that works alongside the petrol engine.

Most Kiwi boaties know Battery Town as New Zealand’s largest chain of qualified auto electricians. But what many don’t realise is that there’s a sister network dedicated to life on the water: Battery Town Marine.

When you think of safety in an electric vehicle (EV), airbags, stability control, and driver assistance features might come to mind. But behind the scenes, one small component makes all of these systems possible: the 12V battery.

Every electric vehicle (EV) runs on not just one battery, but two. While the high-voltage battery pack gets most of the attention for powering the car, the smaller 12V battery is equally important for safety and everyday functions.

Every electric vehicle (EV) has two batteries: the big high-voltage pack that drives the car and the smaller 12V battery that powers electronics and safety systems. While the high-voltage pack gets most of the attention, the 12V battery is just as critical, and it wears out much faster.

When most people think about an electric vehicle battery, they picture the big high-voltage pack that drives the car. But every EV also has a 12V battery, and just like in petrol or diesel cars, it doesn’t last forever.