Where Do You Park Your MG Cyberster Roadster?

In a solar-powered, self-charging carport, of course, but more on that later. Serial entrepreneur and attention seeker Arran Blomfield of RegenEV has gone all out and bought himself a red MG Cyberster. “Well,” I quipped, “if you are going to have a midlife crisis, a sports car is cheaper than a blonde.”

No only that, but it is a great way of advocating for electric vehicles and advertising his business. The eye-catching MG Cyberster cost Arran AU$120,000 and will do 0–100 km/h in 2.4 seconds. “Roadster-like acceleration for a fraction of the cost,” he tells me. Not that you can buy a Tesla Roadster anywhere, let alone in Australia. The two-seater has discreet signage — “100% electric” on the side, “RegenEV” on the back.

Believe it or not, it is a work vehicle, complementing RegenEV’s electric fleet of Teslas and the Mercedes eVito. The MG Cyberster is used when doing quotes for EV charging installs. All his customers rave about the vehicle. He has offered to give them rides, but so far no one has taken him up on it. CleanTechnica published about the Mercedes eVito here.

In eco mode, Arran tells me he can get a range of approximately 480 km, but if he uses sports mode (and why wouldn’t you!), he loses 100 km. Still pretty decent figures for a sports car. He travels from the Gold Coast (south of Brisbane, Queensland) to the Sunshine Coast (north of Brisbane) and back (about 350 km) and still has 20 km in tank.

“Nothing compares to this car,” he tells me. “It is very efficient, with great tech. The car says hello, tells you the weather (helpful if you are thinking about putting the top down), the date and the time. It even has ambient lighting.” MG has certainly come a long way since the MG ZS EV came out not so long ago.

Although the boot is only half the size of the boot on the Tesla Model 3 that Arran used to drive to do his quotes, it is ample for his toolbag, paperwork, and portable charger with 7 m type 2 lead. Recently, Arran was called out to assess a tricky installation of an EV charging device. Imagine his surprise when he found that a neighbour also owned a Cyberster! Quite a coincidence when only 38 have been sold in Australia this year. “What’s the chance, you are quoting across the road and this lovely car pulls up. This is the first Cyberster that I have seen on the road other than mine of course. We’ll have to start a Cyberster car club!”

You can watch the video here or below.

Arran’s Cyberster was featured recently at the Zero Emissions Noosa EV Expo, where he was interviewed by none other than Sam Evans, The Electric Viking.

Arran tells me that he finds the MG a “stunning car — joy to drive.” He wants to be in it all the time. Although he has owned the car for 3 months now, he has rarely had the roof down. It is the Australian winter after all. “It is too cold at the moment for the roof down. It will be summer soon and then roof will come down.” He describes how the car is mobbed when he and his wife, Nat, take it shopping at the local supermarket. “All these young kids screaming out ‘cool car!’ The scissor doors really make an impression.” The car makes Nat feel classy. A bit like Grace Kelly, perhaps. Even more so than when she used to drive her Model X. She comments that the MG drives like a Model 3 Performance when it comes to acceleration and regen braking. 

These pubic reactions remind me of the reception we used to get for our Tesla Model 3 when driving past the local school. Teslas are common now, and the MG Cyberster is the exciting new kid on the block. People even stare as Arran drives the Cyberster down the street in Brisbane’s CBD.

Not everyone in the family is keen on the attention. Nat has to be discreet when dropping her younger daughter at school. She insists on being dropped a few streets away to avoid the stares that the Cyberster attracts. “It’s too fancy!” Mind you, Nat tells me that it was the same when she did the school dropoff in the Model X.

So, where do they house this exotic beast of a car? In a solar carport, of course. Although it is still a work in progress, you can see the video here. Currently Arran is still charging his Cyberster from the 20 kW solar array on his roof. When the carport is fully functional and he has fitted a few Tesla Powerwall’s (there are subsidies from the new Federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program), Arran expects to be able to go off grid.

Goodwe approached RegenEV with the prospect of setting up a “display solar car port as a showcase.” Arran needed extra weather protection for the MG and so accepted their offer. The car is protected and powered by the same structure. Arran expects to be able to supply and install the product as part of his business portfolio. I asked if he had had any visitors yet — thinking that perhaps it could become another Gold Coast Tourist attraction, but he tells me, “Not yet.”

Nat tells me that she will be excited when it is all up and running. The first stage is complete. It took about a week for four RegenEV employees to erect the carport, using an existing concrete slab. The kit was shipped in and the parts easily bolted together. Fifteen solar panels make up the roof. I queried the weight, compared to a regular roof. With each panel weighing 20 kg, all up, the roof weighs 300 kg, ably supported by 4 alloy posts (150 x 100 mm) with 150 x 150 mm joists. Similar engineering to any other carport.

The next stage will be to set up the electricals. Arran plans to connect the solar panels and then pull the cables to an all-in-one hybrid battery, inverter, and EV charger. He is still searching for the best product to do this job. He also plans to install power points. He sees GoodWe’s Solar Carport Solution perfect for those who are living off grid, who can’t put solar on the roof, or who have maxed out their roof space and still need more power. Perhaps even for the small business that can fit one in their carpark. Providing shelter and power might make them valuable for public charging stations!

I recently checked the cost of installing solar panels vs. shade cloth as the local shopping centre is renovating. Turns out that it costs four times as much. Arran expects that a solar carport may cost twice as much as a regular one, but you would balance this with the return on investment from power generation and use.

There you have it — another great idea for generating renewable energy, and this time to power your funmobile. For Arran, his family, and RegenEV, the future is bright, electric, fast, classy and fun. As MG says: The future of driving is here, and it is electrifying!