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 […]
Chargers, chargers, chargers

The roll out of fast chargers is underway in New Zealand. From Dunedin to Whangarei charging infrastructure is being deployed. Northpower and Whangarei take the prize for the first fast charger. Charge Net and Kaiwaka was next. Now Vector is in on the act with the roll out of some 30+ chargers across Auckland. Dargaville, […]
Focus on a hero – Martin Kane, Timaru

This month’s hero is based in Timaru. Martin Kane is a Leaf owner with big plans for charging infrastructure in the rural South Island. His aim is to get enough charging stations in place, to drive his Leaf from Timaru across to the West Coast via the Haast Pass and back via Arthur’s Pass. On […]
Climate change and Paris

Everyone is talking about COP21 and the outcomes. I remember reading in the late 1990s an analysis by a renowned expert on institutions, on why the Kyoto Protocol would fail. The point was that it was a legal, binding agreement so people would spend their time being clever, finding loopholes etc. New Zealand was clever […]
Newsletter: Stakeholder update

What a charged start to the year Drive Electric has had! Read the stakeholder update here.