Kathryn Trounson
Chairperson
022 174-9110
kathryn@betternz.org

GREAT EV ROAD TRIP 2019 - THE DIARY
By The BETTER NZ TRUST
Leading The Charge

Day Twenty-Three: 19 April Napier

The trip from Palmerston North to Napier over the Saddle Road took us way above the fog and a stopoff at the Te Apiti Wind Farm is almost compulsory in these idyllic conditions. Giving a sense of scale of the size of these giants.

It's definitely a two-dog day in the twin city region of Napier and Hastings.  First, whilst charging in Hastings this fab little guy "Tiddles" hanging with his dad: William Nelson - commonly known as the "Father of Hawke's Bay" for the contribution he made to the economics of the area.

And then in Napier - the slightly more well-known statue "A Wave in Time." In fact, the dog "Raven" was added as an artistic measure and is modelled on the sculptor's own dog. There is a second statue of a little boy clinging to a light pole waving back to her.

“A Wave in Time” bronze sculpture by Mark Whyte (2010). The woman is modelled on Sheila Williams, the daughter of a prominent Napier architect. Sheila organised and led the 1933 Earthquake Recovery Parade. 

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Day Twenty-Two: 18 April Palmerston North

Every event the Better NZ Trust has ever held in The Square in Palmerston North has been terrific. But today's event surpassed all the previous ones!  We were given great weather, there were lots of cars on view and many people stopped by, eager to talk to EV drivers and study the car line-up in detail.

Wellington Regional EV-Champion, Donald Love, shares his knowledge & enthusiasm with the public.

Sue Pugmire, the PN-champion, had organised the event superbly as usual, and not only sang beautifully for us, but also lined up speakers to give the event some clout.

[from left] Kathryn Trounson, Sue Pugmire, Iain Lees-Galloway, Grant Smith, and Rachel Keedwell (far right)

Mayor Grant Smith, JP welcomed the Better NZ Trust road trippers to Palmerston North.

“Palmerston North has a special interest in electric vehicles,” his worship the mayor explained. “They not only tick all the boxes in our environmental strategies, but they are also very cool.”

The mayor’s speech was followed by the MP for Palmerston North, Hon Iain Lees-Galloway. The minister mentioned the Government’s investment in electric vehicles via the EECA Contestable Fund, where $11m has recently been put up to support people to purchase electric vehicles. The minister also spoke of the current Government’s promise to have an electric fleet by 2025, wherever practical.

“The Prime Minister is constantly on our case (members of parliament), as individuals, to purchase EVs when we upgrade our private vehicles. The progress of EV adoption in NZ is steady and sustainable. We’ve seen a lot of progress and I thank the Better NZ Trust for keeping EV on our radar.”

Next to speak was Rachel Keedwell, Councillor of Horizons Regional Council.

“Horizons has purchased its first fleet EV and looking at replacing the remainder of our fleet as and when needed. One of our initiatives that has come to fruition is the first electric bus in Palmerston North will be on the road by the end of the year, thanks to the EECA fund, and the submissions that locals have put it which has prompted the change. We have also requested all future public transport tenders to give us options on EV.”

Professor Robert McLachlan of Massey University reported that more needs to be done to combat NZ’s currently losing battle against transport emissions.

"2017 saw an increase of 800,000 tonnes of GHG pollution in transport (compared to 1990) and yet internationally 2018 was the year that electric vehicles truly began taking off. The University has a carbon management plan in place which includes looking at not only the staff fleet but also student transport and University air transport requirements.”

Finally Chair of Better NZ Trust, Kathryn Trounson, officially opened the event at The Square.

“This is one of our favourite destinations because here there is so much space to show the vehicles to their best advantage and to show what is possible and what is now available in NZ. The Better NZ Trust is part-funded by the EECA Education Fund,” she says. “The main purpose of this event is to encourage people to include an EV in their personal fleet. An example of how much we’ve grown is the fact that this year we have give-away bags full of information available. These have been sponsored by Repco, and while this may not immediately seem like a perfect fit, in fact you may notice that all Electric Vehicles have wheels. They all have windscreen wipers. Yes, they even all need cleaning.”

We were privileged again to have Brian come along with his new pride and joy, his Jaguar I-PACE, which garnered lots of interest and was by far the most popular vehicle that people wanted to look at and ride in! Brian did 61 rides and really enjoyed showing his new car off – he acquired instant champion status for this amazing endeavour! 

The Photon Red I-PACE

The Tesla Model X’s on view were the next most studied vehicles – Martin’s because he did the ‘dance’ every hour to everyone’s delight, and Lex’s bright orange X because he was doing rides in it!  Lex clocked up 27 rides, with several of the most informed riders being children!  Doing events in school holidays has many up sides!

A crowd gathers to watch the Model X "dance"

The Hyundai Kona was a new car that many had not seen, and Grant Smith spent quite some time grilling Greg as to its credentials.

We even had an electric rubbish truck, as well as 24kW and 40kW Leafs, 2 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs, a BMW i3, 2 Tesla Model S and a Prius PHEV.  There was something for everybody.  One lady arrived in her Leaf which she had had for exactly a week! Despite there being several cars that the public could drive there were only 6 people who actually sat behind the steering wheel and felt the torque of an electric motor.

The goody bags were a great hit and we must have given away over 200.  That means that well over 400 people attended the event!

Sue Pugmire told the trippers over dinner tonight that she was contacted by three people following last Year’s RoadTrip event who had gone and bought an EV as a result of talking to owners!

Day Twenty-One: 17 April Masterton

We all left Wellington at differing times according to our charging needs. So, we didn't take on the Remutaka Crossing in a convoy. For my part, with nobody behind me, I used this huge zigzag downhill to try to find the i3's regen sweet spot. And in case you're wondering, I'm still haven't found it.

We regrouped at the Paua World in Carterton. I thought we were just coming here to shop for kitschy bits and bobs.

In fact, it was a hugely enjoyable visit, tour, and quite a decent turnout of interested people arrived to see our electric cars.

The business of organising where to position each car for a photo-op, is quite a complex process involving much moving of cars and "discussion".

The paua business itself is both a shop and a manufacturer of paua shell. They are huge users of electricity, $40-50,000 per year, so it made sense for them to cover their roof with solar panels. These, they say, they will pay off within five years. And it has prompted them to also install a small type 2 EV charger. They are currently charging for the use of this to pay for the charger.

Then we carried on to Masterton for the day's main event. Here, in the town square, we felt we were a little too far from the action, but nevertheless had a steady stream of people, including the mayor, councillors and interested local journalists from the adjacent gorgeous art-deco Wairarapa Times-Age building. We also had a visit from Batman, while Eddie the coffee man (himself a LEAF owner) was on hand with vital refreshments.  Of particular interest was a Jaguar I-PACE which joined us from Wellington and took pride of place.  And we can now confirm that there will be an I-PACE at the Auckland event.

After a lunch break, we all headed out to Gladstone Vineyard to taste their wines while enjoying the fireplace. They have had an unseasonably early year, with picking largely done already.

pigs, ducks and chooks at Gladstone Winery framed by Donald's and Will's matching LEAFs

We are now numbering eight cars and about 17 people, and we say goodbye to Will Hunter and Daniel & Sara Kirven. But joining us is Donald Love, and Sarah Bell (and family) - both in LEAFs.

SOUTH ISLAND

Day Twenty: 16 April Blenheim

Perhaps Blenheim will be remembered for its roundabouts and regularly chiming clock. But time was against us as the start/finish times were changed to allow us to get to the ferry without rushing. The two hours allowed for the event could easily have been twice that, such was the interest and numbers of people come to look.

The square was packed with display cars while the ioniq from Nelson and the GVI Gen-2 Gold-Leaf were on the street giving drives. Interestingly kids were dragging their parents across the street to look at the “e-cars” and there were plenty of curious adults as well.  Liza must have either chosen the perfect spot to hold the event or done a lot of prior advertising.

Many giveaways were taken and our expertise stretched with a variety of questions. Chelsea and Fiona had their ear bent for half an hour by one over-curious punter.

And then all too soon, it was time to pack up and head off to Picton. We said goodbye to David and family who were heading home to Nelson and with our enlarged contingent of eight vehicles, we boarded the ferry for an ever-so-slightly washing machine style crossing.

There were a few moments of excitement as a couple of cars moved during the crossing way too close to one of the Teslas. But otherwise the crossing was uneventful and our "modest" accommodation in Lower Hutt easy to reach within 20 minutes, even in rush hour, and hopefully easy to exit Wellington for tomorrow's full day of events and sightseeing in the Wairarapa.

Day Nineteen: 15 April Orion

Another day, another dog. Well three actually.

Back to EVs. Today the road trippers called into the Orion offices in Burnside, to lend their EVs in a display for local fleet managers. Orion are certainly leading the charge in EV fleets, with a definite PHEVolution going on, not to mention a healthy dose of Kona. My little i3 looks a bit like Where's Wally in amongst them, while the Jones' Outlander looks right at home, although perhaps a little less formally dressed.

We enjoyed coffee and muffins, and after the event, while some of us dashed off to spread the charging load, the others took the opportunity to have a walk-through the Orion control room. It was certainly another fascinating industry tour but into a lines company this time, as opposed to Meridian at Manapouri who are generators. And, a valuable furthering of our education of the electricity industry.

At this point, we are saying goodby to road trippers Oana and Paul and Henry who are heading back to Dunedin. However, are have two new cars on the road trip and our numbers are now at 17 people in 8 cars.

After a gruelling trip up the coast - my i3 rolled into both Kaikoura and Blenheim emitting polluting emissions from its scooter generator - highlighting that low-mid range EVs do need charger support on either side of Kaikoura.  Tomorrow (16th) will bring the last Mainland event and is being held from 10:00 - 12 midday in Blenheim.

Click the read more link below to see the previous days' diaries.

Mitch Wins for NZ and Panasonic Jaguar Racing

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship now heads to Paris for the second instalment of the voestalpine European races on April 27.

The automotive world is changing and some commercial entities are quickly recognising the opportunities that this will bring. One of these businesses is Repco New Zealand.

Repco New Zealand is proudly supporting the #LeadingTheCharge 2019 Great EV Road Trip.

"Now in its 5^th season, this is a fantastic annual event for Repco to be part of," says Richelle Ashman, Marketing Manager NZ. "Repco recognises Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a popular choice for New Zealand drivers."

Repco has been providing New Zealanders with what they need to get their vehicle road ready for over 95 years. Repco leads the charge in the automotive parts aftermarket, which makes Repco a fitting partner to the #LeadingTheCharge 2019 Great EV Road Trip.

If you are coming along to a Leading The Charge event in Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Auckland and Whangarei, be sure to pick up a Repco voucher to save on your next purchase at you nearest Repco store.

I used my voucher to buy seat covers for my BMW. Thanks Repco.

Taupo turned on glorious weather for the 2019 Road Trippers.

After the cancellation of the Rotorua Night Market due to inclement weather, the Great EV Road Trip 2019 began at stop 2 – Taupo – on the Colonel Roberts Reserve, right in the heart of the eating quarter of Taupo – and on the waterfront. 

BREAKING NEWS: AFTER A PENALTY, THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE IN PODIUM PLACINGS (SEE END)

Race 5 of the season was the 50^th Formula E race and it was therefore fitting that the series was back in China where the very first Formula E race was held. Although that race was in Beijing while this 5^th race of Season 5 was on the waterfront streets of downtown Hong Kong. It was also the 50^th Formula E race for veteran Brazilian driver, Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler)

The rain held off yet again, but the track was in various degrees of wet and dry from an earlier downpour, making driving tricky especially over the painted areas of the street track which become like ice when wet.  The track had 10 turns, six to the right and four to the left with mixed surfaces.

It was a game of cat and mouse between German, Andre Lotterer driving for DS Techeetah and Briton Sam Bird of Envision Virgin Racing, which ultimately ended in contact with Bird's claws causing a tyre blow-out.

All-Electric Car Sales In UK Doubled Again In February 2019

London Wins Right to Host Formula E Next Season

It's Official. While Auckland was twiddling its thumbs on the subject, London has streaked ahead and scored the Series that this year is proving to be so much more popular than it has in the past.

Set to take place around the city's iconic Royal Docks and ExCeL London, the drivers will navigate their way around a one-of-a-kind track indoor/outdoor 2.4km clockwise circuit around Royal Victoria Dock. 

Consisting of 23 corners, the track layout will see the drivers run along the Thames waterfront for the season finale double-header of the 2019/20 campaign on July 25 & 26 2020 - subject to circuit homologation and approval of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

Timaru 12 Year Old Wins Contest in Protest About Petrol Cars and Bullying

Oli Kirke's protest against petrol cars and bullying has earned him the top prize for his age group in a Department of Conservation writing competition.

The 12-year-old Grantlea Downs School pupil won the age 11-14 category of the summer writing competition hosted by DOC's Arthur's Pass branch, for his short story Goodbye Dino-juice.

The story, set in 2024, follows a 1950s Cadillac named Bailey as he leaks petrol and yearns to stop "destroying this planet". Nople, the latest Tesla Model X, teases him for his "stinky old butt" until he stands up to her - after which she fits him with an electric motor.

Oli said his story was a protest hoped to encourage people to swap their petrol cars for electric, and to put more effort into understanding and helping each other.

Vector and Chargetrip Partner to Ease Anxiety Amongst EV Owners at Busy Charging Stations

New Zealand's EV Owners are getting a welcome boost from New Zealand's largest Energy distributor Vector who has teamed up with Dutch start-up Chargetrip.

Range Anxiety vs Charge Anxiety

Range anxiety is a term often used to describe the stress EV users experience when their destination is or could be further than their car battery’s range, and they fear they could end up stranded on the side of the road. Charge anxiety is caused by the uncertainty of waiting lines at charge stations. Both are considered major barriers keeping people from switching to electric driving.

To put more control and freedom in the hands of EV users, Vector and Chargetrip are adapting a popular EV journey planning app for the New Zealand market, that equips EV drivers with journey planning information that is tailored to them, their trip, and their EV.

Topography and Weather will be taken into account when calculating range

The app is based on the popular Chargetrip service used by more than 50,000 EV drivers in Norway—which has the largest number of EV users per capita in the world. The app will offer Kiwi EV drivers route planning and navigation guidance, suggesting the optimal charge stops along the way.

To help fund the app’s adaptation to the New Zealand market, Vector and Chargetrip have been awarded a grant from Elemental Excelerator (Elemental)—a growth accelerator that has funded more than 50 projects globally.

Vector’s Group Chief Executive Simon Mackenzie said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Chargetrip, with support from Elemental, to create a tool that improves the overall experience for EV owners, who we know have very different needs compared to drivers of internal combustion engines.

“Vector has long been committed to stimulating and facilitating uptake of EVs in New Zealand and we have a network of EV chargers in Auckland. We have invested in new EV related technologies such as Vehicle-to-Home, which allows EV’s to become mobile sources of energy and we are now excited to be working towards improving the user experience for EV drivers,” Simon said.

The app will also inform people about their CO2 savings per journey and will be compatible with every EV type regardless of make, model or configuration.

The app will include information for public charging locations throughout New Zealand, their availability (to help avoid queues), as well as real-time assessment of the environmental factors that can impact EV batteries, such as topography and temperature.

It will utilise data from NZ Transport Agency’s EVRoam database of public EV charging infrastructure. EVRoam collects data directly from electric vehicle charging infrastructure providers and freely distributes it to a wide range of transport maps, apps and websites.

Chargetrip's CEO Gideon van Dijk said, “Electric mobility is a crucial catalyst in the renewable energy transition. We are excited to partner with Vector and Elemental, who both have an impressive track record at moving the needle. Range anxiety, waiting lines, and complex logistics are some of the biggest hurdles to rapid EV adoption. We are committed to solving these barriers and empowering drivers to make the switch to a cleaner transportation.”

Ramsay Siegal, Elemental Excelerator’s Managing Director said, “We are proud to partner with Vector, a global leader in energy innovation, and help Chargetrip scale its pioneering smart navigation technology. This project is a perfect example of how startups and utilities can collaborate for transformative change, and we're excited to share lessons from New Zealand to support faster EV adoption worldwide.”

ORIX New Zealand has launched a new initiative—ORIX NZ EVi—aimed at pushing electric vehicles into NZ fleets. 

They are now offering a programme where businesses with 16 or more lease vehicles on an ORIX Sole Supply agreement the opportunity to upgrade one of their fleet’s vehicles to a selected electric vehicle at the same lease rate as the fossil fuel equivalent. This has become possible, thanks to co-funding from the Government's Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) 

The Orix NZ EVi programme will include the installation of an AC charging unit at the business premises free of charge and provide opening charging credit.

The aim for the project is to remove many of the barriers businesses face when attempting to incorporate an electric vehicle into their fleet.

ORIX has seen increasing interest in adding electric vehicles to fleets but they claim the reality is that the majority of those businesses are reluctant to invest the higher upfront costs. By removing the additional cost of an electric vehicle, the cost of the charging unit and by handling most of the admin, ORIX is hoping to eliminate the barriers. This will integrate electric vehicles into a wider range of businesses over a three year period, giving them the opportunity to experience and fully evaluate an electric vehicle for their organisation.

The Better NZ Trust agrees with Orix and EECA, of the importance of getting electric cars into business fleets. This will ensure a flourishing second-hand EV market in the years to come, making sustainable transport affordable for a wider range of NZers. 

[Rachelle Tilsley - 10 Feb 2019]

image supplied by Orix NZ

Good infrastructure is seen as essential to the promotion of EV sales and use in NZ. 

image PAUL SHERLEY/BMW NZ

[David Linklater - Stuff - 30 Jan 2019]

The latest round of the Government's Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund has once again thrown the spotlight on New Zealand's charging infrastructure.

The fund, which provides up to $7 million per year to contribute up to half of project costs to promote the uptake of Electric Vehicles (EVs), named Ngai Tahu Tourism as one of its recipients.

Partnering with ChargeNet, Ngai Tahu will install DC fast chargers at key tourist spots including Franz Josef Glacier, Queenstown and Glenorchy.

British driver Sam Bird wins at Santiago for the Envision Virgin Racing team, making him the only driver to have a win in every season of Formula E.  Unaware that he was under investigation for being underweight during his post-race weigh-in, he accepted his trophy and fortunately was eventually cleared.

On the podium it was (1^st) Sam Bird (Envisage Virgin Racing), (2^nd) Pascal Wehrlein (Mahindra Racing), (3^rd) Daniel Abt (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler). Abt also got the points for fastest lap, and received one of the five fanboosts.

EV-Sales is a blog created by Jose Pontes, which tracks plug-in (PEV) sales all over the world, ranking countries and manufacturers by sales.

It's a labour-intensive job, with some countries, like NZ, freely publishing this raw data, but in others the data can sometimes be very difficult to come by. Nevertheless, he manages to produce data on about 80 models in 40 markets, twice a year.  When the #LeadingTheCharge team are looking for sales data of NZ-new PEV, this has been a major source of information for us, and therefore probably of interest to our 13,000 registered members.

Leading The Charge now boasts a Membership of 13,000.

NZ's 2018 EOY has just been published at EV-Sales. In summary, New Zealand is +31% for December 2018 compared to December 2017, and +56% for yr-2018 compared to yr-2017. I'll transcribe the New Zealand specific results in full below this introduction. 

Meanwhile, the EV-Sales blog is a subset of EV-Volumes. EV-Volumes, based in Sweden, collects data on more than just sales. They are tracking: Products, prices, batteries, charging infrastructure, regulations and incentives globally. A quote from their website, reads:

"We share a passion for EVs and their ability to make life easier and more sustainable.  EVs offer unmatched energy efficiency, operating cost and cleanness. We believe in their potential to make automobiles the most entertaining, comfortable, purposeful and affordable we ever had.

"Finding the facts in this emerging, dynamic industry can be very time consuming, often impossible. And it is not likely to be your core business either. We made it ours and want to share our knowledge with you."

 

Just a few important notes to keep in mind when reading this data.

1. It is important to differentiate between sales and total fleet numbers. This is a record of sales year-on-year, not total fleet numbers. So while NZ may be heading towards a 3% of national fleet in new registrations, that does not necessarily mean we have 3% of the total fleet. 

2. NZ's vehicle market is largely driven by used imports. Our biggest selling PEV is the Nissan LEAF. In 2018, these were 100% imported, so don't win a podium spot. Though rumour has it that Nissan will begin selling NZ-new LEAFs in mid-late 2019.

3. While to NZ'ers low-speed vehicles may seem unimportant, from a global climate POV, they are terribly important when used in high population density countries like China and India. The shift to electric NEV in these huge numbers is gradually making a positive impact on inner-city pollution in China. This is especially so, in those regions of China which generate largely renewable sources of electricity to power them.

[Rachelle Tilsley - Leading The Charge - 26 Jan 2019]

Holiday parks in New Zealand are putting their money where their mouth is with the installation of 54 electric vehicle charge points in 24 holiday parks around the country, encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

Fourteen holiday parks in the North Island and 10 in the South Island are now offering 22kW AC charge points, which provide relatively fast charge for vehicles in lieu of installing expensive DC chargers.

It was anybody's game in Marrakesh during the 2nd Race of the 2019 ABB FIA Formula E Series last night. 

Attack Activation Zone in the forefront of this image of the Marrakesh Street Track. Drivers need to turn on attack mode and activate it by taking the corner wide passing over the red and blue lines. Attack mode at Marrakesh lasts 4 minutes and gives an extra 25kW power.

New Zealander, Mitch Evans, got off to a great start, winning a practice race and breaking the track record with a time of 1.17.22. While he didn’t get the extra series point that he would have if he’d won fastest lap during the main race, it was enough for him to comfortably make it into the top six for the qualifying races. In these he just managed to retain a spot in the top six and was therefore eligible to compete in the Julius Baer Super Pole shoot out.

From that point on nothing went right for the Panasonic Jaguar team. In the Super Pole race, Evans overshot the braking-point unable to make the corner at turn six and driving off track into the skate way. By the time he got back on track, he trailed a miserable 17+ seconds behind the pole position. Having already qualified in the top six, Evans still retained his third-row starting post alongside BMW i Andretti Motorsport's Alex Sims who made good time but placed 5th in the Super Pole.

Evan's teammate, Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jn was starting in ninth position followed by Mahindra Racing's Jerome d'Ambrosio.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

Unable to wait on government, Vector has begun publishing its own series of Guides on EV Charging. The first much-needed guide will be aimed at multi-dwelling complexes. This how-to guide is designed to make it easier for tenants and residents of business, commercial and apartment buildings to install EV charging facilities. 

Lines company, Vector Limited is New Zealand's leading electricity distributor and is largely owned by Auckland householders, via Entrust.

“EV popularity continues to skyrocket, with the number of EVs on New Zealand roads almost doubling year-on-year,” said Vector’s Head of Engineering, Cristiano Marantes.

“By demystifying the process and making it easier for people to charge their EVs, we expect to see to see more businesses adopt them as part of their company fleet,” he said. 

[Alex Stone - Waiheke Weekender - 10 Jan 2019]

The goal for the recently announced initiative on Waiheke, "Electric Island", is for a totally clean island in terms of transport and power supply by 2030.

In an article in Waiheke Weekender, dated 10 January, local EV Owner, Alex Stone, talks to other Islanders including The Better NZ Trust's own Carl Barlev, and the owners of Easy Transport, a (nearly) EV-only taxi service on the island.

Read Full Article here.

NZ EV Registrations: Just Shy of 12K mark

Figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Transport have final numbers of electric vehicles registered in NZ as of 2018 year-end at 11,748. This comfortably exceeds the Government's target of 8,000. 

Continuing the trend, light electric far outweighs heavy EV. Interestingly though, BEV has more than double the number of registrations as PHEV on an increasing trend year on year.

Image credit: Nikita Podobulkin Wind Farm in India

Within India's vast mega cities, apartment living is more common than standalone housing. Yet, residential apartments are currently a barrier to EV uptake the world over, and likely to be a key reason India is lagging behind the world in EV Sales. Many locals have been waiting on the government to publish promised building code guidelines for EV. Finally today, the wait is over for India. The Department of Town and Country Planning under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Development has issued guidelines to provide for electric vehicle charging infrastructure through addendum to Model Building Bye-Laws. 

India is known for flip-flopping on EV policy, particularly after the u-turn on their initial announcement for EV-sales-only after 2030. (Now 30% New Sales by 2030.) It is possible then, that these new guidelines will also be relaxed if found to be impractical.

Even Norway struggles with the apartment issue, While California has already issued guidelines for multi-dwelling complexes. The most common issues are: lack of space to install a power point near the parking spaces; meter room not located on same floor as parking; preventing electricity theft; apprehensive body corporates and building managers; billing for power on shared ev parking spaces; EVSE installation, ownership & maintenance; H&S concerns; and building's power capacity being fully utilised.

Sooner or later either the New Zealand government or local governments will need to address these issues for our apartment dwellers. Solutions apply to all of the issues, but the building industry and body corporates need to be educated on what those solutions are. Perhaps our nation's leaders need to formulate our own guidelines. India's new legislation will, therefore, be an interesting test case for NZ and other countries.

[Rachelle Tilsley - Better NZ Trust - 7 Jan 2019]

The opinions stated are the author's own and are not necessarily those of the Better NZ Trust,

It is apparent that 2019 will be an exciting year for EV releases in LHD and some, in RHD, hopefully filtering down to the NZ market.

But even more exciting in 2019, will be the expected announcements of delivery dates for a whole raft of BEVs likely to be released in 2020/21. Experts predict that 2020/21 will be when EV finally becomes a viable alternative for the bulk of the driving population because there will be an EV model suited to almost anybody. That's not to say the bulk of the market will choose an EV, but that there will be less holding them back.

Before then, we have a few new cars hitting the international market and a few notable models finally reaching NZ in 2019.

VW Buzz (concept), due to go on sale in 2022

First up, let's look at those models that have already been released, but to the best of our knowledge are expected to reach NZ shores in 2019.

[Rachelle Tilsley - Better NZ Trust - 31/12/18]

Electric transportation is about more than cars.

Trucks and buses are also moving toward electric propulsion. Planes, with their long ranges and high power demands seem to be harder. Where electric power does seem to be making progress in the skies is in helicopters. 

Guinness Record Holding Electric Helicopter by Tier 1 Engineering

Volkswagen Looks Back Again While Moving into EV Age

Volkswagen is working on an electric dune buggy concept vehicle that pays homage to the classic Meyers Manx.

Now, as VW prepares to introduce the first EVs on its new MEB (modular electric architecture) platform, the company is quietly developing a concept inspired by Meyers’ creation. If produced, it could be one of three retro-themed EVs, including the Buzz, based on the classic Microbus, and a five-door new Beetle.

SAUDIA Ad Diriyah

With just 3 days to go until the start of the 2018/19 racing season, FELIPE MASSA, one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, drove deep into the deserts of Saudi Arabia to test his skills against the fastest animal on earth.

It’s not the first time the fully-electric Formula E car has been pitted against a member of the animal kingdom, with reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne running side-by-side with a cheetah on the Western Cape of South Africa last year.

Vergne narrowly edged out the fastest land mammal, but fans asked for a rematch - this time together with a more demanding competitor. Listening to the feedback of fans on social media, it became the turn of the peregrine falcon, which is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 350 km/h (217 mph) when diving through the skies.

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[Rachelle Tilsley - Better NZ Trust - 12 Dec 2018]

A driver at a hydrogen pump at a Los Angeles gas station refuels a futuristic, zero-emission Chevrolet Equinox hydrogen-fuel-cell powered automobile. The vehicle has a range of 150 miles. An electronic plug-in cable controls the refilling process.
Image Credit: (iStock) pandapix

Australian Research

Low energy efficiency is already a major problem for petrol and diesel vehicles. Typically, only 20% of the overall well-to-wheel energy is actually used to power these vehicles.  This low energy efficiency is the primary reason why fossil fuel vehicles are emissions-intensive and relatively expensive to run.

The other 80% is lost through oil extraction, refinement, transport, evaporation, and engine heat.

With this in mind, we set out to understand the energy efficiency of electric and hydrogen vehicles as part of a recent paper published in the Air Quality and Climate Change Journal.

[Article Credit: The Conversation - 30 Nov 2018]

Yoogo Share has won first place in the "Smarter Transport" category of the 2018 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards. 

Right to left: Yoogo Share Development Manager, Tracey Jay. Yoogo Share General Manager, Kirsten Corson. Waste Management National Manager Customer First, Marsha Cadman. Waste Management Sustainability Manager, Adam Weller.
Image Credit: Sustainable Business Network

650 people attended the black-tie NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards dinner in Auckland last Thursday night to find out which businesses were leading sustainability in the country. Yoogo Share was up against Waste Management NZ, Civic Contractors, Enviro NZ, Tranzit Group, Yoogo Share and Mevo for the Smarter Transport Award.

Start sequence, BMW i Berlin E-Prix 2017/18 - Credit: LAT/Formula E

Electric dream: consortium still pushing to bring Formula E to Auckland

A consortium including ASB Classic tennis tournament director Karl Budge is angling to bring "Formula E" racing to Auckland.

He and consortium partner Craig Cotton (head of the NZ Innovation Council) commissioned a study by SMG YouGov that says the race would bring in $150m a year.

Why It's Important

Budge and Cotton say it's not just about the thrill of motorsport. The pair argue Formula E racing in New Zealand would help spur clean energy research and electric vehicle adoption as the government targets a carbon neutral economy by 2050.

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