Figtree sits against the escarpment at the base of Mount Keira, and local driving has a shape that is the reverse of most suburbs: you go out downhill and you come home uphill.
That is a small thing that changes several larger ones.
The climb home comes at the worst time
Going out, the vehicle recovers energy through regenerative braking on the descent and arrives wherever it is going having used very little.
Coming home is the opposite: a sustained climb, drawing high continuous current from the pack — and it happens at the end of the trip, when the state of charge is already at its lowest for the day.
That is not damaging. A modern EV is built for exactly this, and the drivetrain handles elevation far better than a petrol car does. But it does mean two practical things worth knowing:
Range estimates behave oddly here. The figure looks generous on the way down and falls quickly on the way back. Owners who judge their battery by the dash in the last few kilometres of the day will always be pessimistic about it.
Efficiency readouts are close to useless. A Figtree vehicle's kWh/100 km figure reflects the terrain, not the pack. Comparing it against a flat-suburb vehicle tells you about the hill.
Which is exactly why the measured figure matters
State of Health measures capacity relative to when the pack was new. It does not move with terrain, weather, driving style or load. It lives in the battery management system and is displayed nowhere in the vehicle.
On a hill suburb, the gap between what the dash suggests and what the battery actually holds is wider than average — which makes a measurement more informative here than in most places, not less.
The rest of the local picture
Figtree shares the Illawarra's genuinely good climate: coastal moderation, mild summers by Sydney standards, reliable overnight cooling. Heat is what permanently removes capacity from a lithium battery, and there is comparatively little of it here.
Housing is predominantly detached with garages and carports, and home AC charging overnight is the norm — the gentlest charging profile there is.
Against that, a good number of local households do the Mount Ousley run to Sydney, which is deep daily cycling at sustained speed. That vehicle and the local runabout on the same street have had quite different lives.
Where we come to
Figtree, Mount Keira, Keiraville, Gwynneville, Mangerton, Coniston, Unanderra, Cordeaux Heights, Farmborough Heights and Kembla Grange. Home garages, driveways and seller addresses.
Booking
Online booking is open for all Figtree postcodes. $249, no travel surcharge. Phone 02 7252 1390 if you prefer.
EV battery testing across the Illawarra · Wollongong · Unanderra and Port Kembla · Book a test — $249