BMW and Nissan partner up to offer new DC Fast Chargers around the US
by Andrew Krok. Automakers are no stranger to partnering up with the competition. Subaru and Toyota have built multiple vehicles on the same platform in the past, for example. This time, BMW and Nissan are getting together to flesh out America’s electric infrastructure, which should pave the way for easier adoption of alternative-propulsion vehicles. Together, […]
Swedish electric car firm in $12 billion Chinese deal
“National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the electric vehicle company born out of the ashes of Swedish automaker Saab, has inked a $12 billion deal with a Chinese leasing firm that it says goes a long way to meeting its business objectives. In a statement Thursday, the company said it will be providing 150,000 sedans to Panda […]
Long term extension to Plug-in Car Grant announced
Yesterday the Government announced a long-term extension to the Plug-in Car Grant which will continue until at least the end of March 2018. The new grant reflects the growing popularity of electric vehicles with consumers and as business fleets. Sales have doubled over the past year, and there are now 29 ULEVs on the market, produced […]
Looking forward – 2016
In 2016 we will see a roll out of charging infrastructure across New Zealand. Beginning at the end of 2015, it will get underway in earnest in 2016 – Thanks to Vector, Charge Net, Z and a number of lines companies etc. The Government will announce an EV package at some stage in 2016. Drive Electric in a […]
Council checklist
Here are some suggestions for how councils can help encourage the uptake of EV. I welcome your feedback on this. Many thanks to Sigurd Magnusson for putting these ideas together. The key ideas are: Fleet pilot. Fleet transition. Public charging. Promote what the council is doing. Website content Publish why private individuals should own electric cars, […]
EVolocity
By Rob McEwen. The EVolocity programme, which features a high school competition in which teams design & build their own electric vehicles, as well as an end of year event at Ruapuna Motorsport Park in Christchurch showcasing electric vehicles and smart energy solutions, has just concluded its second year and is looking to expand into […]
The history of the Norwegian EV association
An excellent video (20 minutes – well worth watching) that outlines the history of the Norwegian equivalent of Drive Electric. The point is that the Norwegian DE had a very difficult start. The lesson I take from this video is that we should not beat ourselves up about the difficulties in getting EVs up and […]
A few days with a Tesla in Wellington
Congratulations to Sigurd Magnusson who did a tremendous job organising to have a Tesla (courtesy Steve and Dee West) in Wellington for a few days. Let’s just say that the Tesla was very busy. Sig took a number of people for drives as did I. The tally goes something like this: 2 MPs, 3 mayors, […]
Save the date: 21st March – National EV conference with Keynote: Christina Bu, Director General of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association
We are privileged to host Christina Bu in New Zealand for a week. As part of her visit we are organising a 1 day conference in Auckland on 21st March. Details will be on the Drive Electric Website shortly. If you would like to sponsor this event or exhibit at it please contact me. The focus […]