Using a Green Machine

Electric vehicles are fun to drive, the swift acceleration is quite enjoyable and the low noise aspect is particularly pleasing. When you're on a Green Machine, you're everybody's friend, we get smiles, waves and the odd 'toot' of approval every time we go out.

Here are a few tips for greater economy and safety that all users should be aware of:

Coasting

Coast when you can. We have engineered the Green Machines to have as little rolling resistance as possible, this makes them coast down hills really well. If ever you feel that the road is sloping down, just let off the throttle and see. The machine will coast silently - every metre you coast is another metre in distance you can travel on a charge. It's also less electricity you'll use when charging up next.

Hills climbing

A Green Machine will climb most moderate hills, but it may struggle on steep ones. If you can't plan your trip to avoid the steepest of hills, you'll need to be prepared to go slow during the climb. One useful tip is to go 'across the face' of the incline. This usually means starting the climb next to the centreline, as you climb, move across towards the kerb. This lessens the angle of climb and gives the machine a bit more 'go'.

Keep left

A Green Machine user is never in a hurry, take your time, show courtesy for other road users, and enjoy the trip. Keep left, watch your mirrors, and make space for others when necessary.

Take a tip from a well-worn motorcyclist - assume everyone is out there to get you, and drive accordingly.

Safety

Wear an approved helmet and eye protection. Even a small bug in the eye can lead to complications that nobody really wants. We always wear shoes too, in our opinion jandals are too light for road use.

Passengers should only be carried where there is seating and foot rests for them. No part of the body should extend beyond the body of the machine.

Even though we have had each model tested for electrical and mechanical safety - we must remind users that they share all the risks associated with the use of any vehicle or powered equipment.

The OHS publication 'Safe Use of ATVs on NZ Farms' is a good start point for information on 'off-road' use. It's intended for users of 'quad bikes'. While a Green Machine falls well short of the power rating of a quad bike, the publication makes some good points that should be considered when making your own 'house rules' for the use of your Green Machine. www.osh.dol.govt.nz/order/catalogue/pdf/atvguide2.pdf

Battery care

Heavily draining electric vehicle batteries will lessen their lifespan and holding capacity. In order to provide maximum battery life, our Green Machines are fitted with an automatic cut out that will stop the machine if the battery charge falls to a level that might risk damage to the batteries.

Even with this system in place - we advise that you keep an eye on your battery level indicator and impose your own minimum level.

For the GLOBAL VILLAGER, it's OK to keep the charger plugged into the wall socket for prolonged periods. The green light will come on once full charge is achieved, even so - leave it plugged in for a couple more hours, this will ensure the machine is fully topped up.

For the T&C, the charger has a range of settings. If you're in no hurry, leave it on setting one overnight.

If you do want to speed charging up the charging, or you like to play, we can provide detailed instructions on how to manually operate the charger.

The batteries will last many times longer if you take a little, give a little. Sure, take a lot when you have to, but regular top ups are the way to go.

It's healthy to let the batteries run down about once a month or so. Let them get low, and give them a good, full charge - they'll appreciate this.

Bedding in new batteries
The process for bedding in new batteries is as follows:
1. Fully charge them up
2. Run them down a reasonably good amount
3. Charge for 12-16 hours
4. Repeat the process, running them down and fully charging for four cycles.
5. Now your new batteries are bedded in for many kilometres of faithful service

Our battery manufacturer claims the batteries we use in the T&C will last more than 300 'full cycles'. At up to 100km a cycle, this equates to tens of thousands of kilometres on a set of batteries.