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, […]
Regional Drive Electric event in Wellington, 9th November
Drive Electric hosted a meeting/workshop of people interested in EVs in Wellington. It was hosted by the Wellington City Council. Representatives included councils, government agencies, retailers, individuals etc. Some 30+ people attended. Presenters included: Drive Electric, Z Energy, Cardno Consulting (who run EVs in their fleet), Wellington Electric Lines, Charge Net, EECA, Sigurd Magnusson (recent […]
Global outlook
Drive Electric has been looking at different countries from around the world to understand the drivers for EV uptake. We have been assisted by the services of Carsten Weissman, an intern from Germany who is with Drive Electric for 9 weeks. Looking at the data the first thing that stands out is the variation in […]
Top secret Kiwi electric car goes into production
By Hamish McNeilly A revolutionary electric car capable of parking sideways has gone into production. However, its inventor is keeping quiet over the move, with an announcement expected in March 2016. Associate Professor Tom Qi, of Otago Polytechnic, is the brains behind the yet-to-be-named prototype which he first revealed in 2013. That vehicle featured […]