Jaguar plans an all electric SUV for 2017
By Steve Hanley. Jaguar says it will introduce an all electric SUV with 300 miles of range by 2017. The timing is critical, as Audi says its electric SUV, the Q6 e-tron quattro, will begin sales in 2018 and the Tesla Model X will begin volume sales in 2016. The automotive marketplace is hungry for SUVs. […]
Videos of the month
EV owners are an active lot and have a good grasp of technology. Not surprising really, given that an EV is really about technology. Here are some videos of EV owners in action in New Zealand. The first is an event organised in Christchurch: NZs Largest Gathering of Electric Vehicles 31 October 2015 Cathedral Square Christchurch […]
Rapid charging in Auckland
By Sandy Hodge, External Relations Manager, Vector With the launch of Vector’s first EV rapid charging station in Auckland last week, EV drivers can heave a sigh of relief. Now visitors to the city can be assured that they can fully charge up in under half an hour. The installation of the rapid chargers is […]
Out and about at conferences
Eric Pyle presented at the Climate Change and business conference in Auckland at the end of October, Coincidently, Mark Gilbert, Drive Electric’s Chairman, spoke at the Fuels and Fleets Conference at exactly the same time. Transport is the main source of New Zealand’s CO2 emissions. The climate change conference was very interested in EV. […]
The EECA total cost of ownership tool and EV life-cycle assessment
According to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Organisation, the Drive Electric plug-in fleet day earlier this year was a great success with 95% of attendees ‘more likely’ to consider electric vehicles (EVs) for their fleet. At the event, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) demonstrated an online tool for comparing the total cost of […]
First rapid charger in the South Island by Christmas?
Fast chargers are not just a North Island thing. Delta, the lines company in Dunedin, has announced that it aims to install the first fast charger in Dunedin by Christmas. This will be the first fast charger in the South Island. Congratulations Delta! A press release can be found here. Here is what the […]
Paris climate change
There seems to be a quiet optimism building that the Paris climate change meeting in December will produce some good outcomes. The commitments made by countries to date are not that far off the 2 degrees warming target than seems to be considered “safe”. Greenhouse gas targets have been submitted by countries that represent […]
EVs in Thames
One of the great parts of this job is experiencing the enthusiasm of EV owners around the country. The other day I was chatting with John Leenman. John is based in Thames and is one of several EV/PHEV owners in region. John tells me that Vector’s newly installed fast chargers are a game changer. John […]
Drive Electric’s 10 point plan – proposal to the Minister of Transport
So what actions are needed to increase EV uptake in New Zealand? What we have observed overseas is that a coordinated, focused approach is needed. Once that coordination and focus starts, EV uptake increases exponentially. The question is, “what is the focus and what needs coordination?” To help the Minister of Transport consider this question, […]
