History and Timeline

Drive Electric is committed to a cleaner transport future for New Zealand. Explore our landmark moments so far.
2011
Fewer than 20 EVs registered in NZ
Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles (APEV) Established

Established and seed funded by the Fukutake family.

2014
May
Ministerial Roundtable
APEV hosts a Ministerial Roundtable with industry-wide participation. This begins our dialogue with Government regarding their first electric vehicle stimulus package, to be launched in 2016.
June
New Chairman appointed

APEV rebrands to Drive Electric and appoints automotive industry veteran Mark Gilbert as Chairman.

Connect with Mark

September
PlugIn Fleet Day

Drive Electric hosts a PlugIn Fleet Day, which attracts large amounts of corporate interest and participation.

2015
March
Scoping study for ‘Renewables Highway’

Assistance in the preparation of a ‘Renewable Highway’ scoping study for members, Mighty River Power, Contact Energy and ENA Lines companies.

December
EVolocity

Drive Electric develops and sells EVolocity, an educational project to drive Kiwi innovation for EVs via the tertiary sector.

Visit the EVolocity Website

August
Electric vehicles programme

NZ Government announces the Electric Vehicles Programme, the first set of policies aimed at increasing EV uptake.

View Programme

2017
April
Drive Electric Whitepaper Launch

Charging Ahead: New Zealand’s EV Commercial Charging Infrastructure.

May
Drive Electric Whitepaper Launch

Peak Pressure: What Challenges do EVs Pose to New Zealand’s Electricity Grid?

September
5,000 EVs registered in NZ
Drive Electric Whitepaper Launch

Autonomous Vehicles: The Road to a Driverless Future.

October
Five Key Priorities

Drive Electric presents ‘Five Key Priorities’ to the Labour Government, encouraging EV policy innovations and investment in charging infrastructure.

Read the Five Key Priorities

2018
February
8,000 EVs registered in NZ
Drive Electric Whitepaper Launch

A ‘how to’ guide for businesses transitioning their fleet to EVs.

May
Public Submissions

Drive Electric contributes to the Productivity Commission, MfE and MoT through an expert cross-industry EV lens. Drive Electric works closely with partner organisations such as EECA – who have, to date, co-funded 48 projects and committed over $10m as part of their Contestable Fund.

December
Christina Bu tours New Zealand

Drive Electric presents Christina Bu at 10 speaking events across the country with support from Meridian Energy and EECA. The tour includes member events, influencers breakfasts, Ministerial engagements and attracts significant media coverage.

Connect with Christina

2019
May
Drive Electric Summary Paper Launch

Reporting Back: New Zealand Insights from the 2019 Nordic EV Summit.

July
15,000 EVs registered in NZ
ICCC Report

Recommends two-thirds of NZ fleet needs electrifying to meet target commitments.

July
Incentives

Government makes their first announcement of incentives that will eventually become the Clean Car Standard (CCS) and Clean Car Discount (CCD).

August
CCS & CCD SUBMISSIONS

Submissions made by Drive Electric on the Clean Car Standard and Clean Car Discount policies.

2020
March
20,000 EVs registered in NZ
Drive Electric whitepaper launch

Making the Move: How Some of New Zealand’s Leading Organisations Have Gone Electric.

2021
July
Clean Car Discount Launches

Various rebates become available to purchasers of BEVs and PHEVs. Drive Electric Chair Mark Gilbert joins the Clean Car Sector Leadership Group established by this new policy.

November
35,000 EVs registered in NZ
Submissions

Drive Electric makes submissions on the:

EECA Consultation Document ‘Developing a Short Term Roadmap for the Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network’.

Emissions Reduction Plan Discussion Document.

Land Transport (Clean Car) Amendment Bill.

March
40,000 EVs registered in NZ
New Drive Electric Website Launch

Webinar launch of the new Drive Electric website platform, with keynote speakers Hon. Michael Wood, Minister of Transport, and Andrew Casseley, CEO of EECA. The site is built to be a more fulsome resource for all things electric transport in New Zealand.

April
Clean Car Discount Launches

More rebates become available for new low emission vehicle registrations and a fee schedule for higher emission vehicles is introduced.

May
45,000 EV's registered in New Zealand

Search our website

Search our website for tips, tricks, and news on Electric Vehicles in New Zealand. If you can’t find what you’re looking for try with a different term or contact us.