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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Can New Zealand reach Norway's standard for electric vehicles?

With a general power cut in Taupo recently, one EV owner and dealer, Steve Greenwood of Drive EV (www.driveev.co.nz/) has been able to keep the power going at his home and office.

Using an inverter running off the traction batteries in an EV, he has available two AC power points for household appliances. 

We were unsure if EV Owners would be able to attend a Friday evening visit to Alpine Energy, but in the end but a good number of owners arrived, including three new members for whom this was their first community event.

Alpine Energy was one of the early adopters for Electric Vehicle Fast Charging in the South Island.

In fact, CEO Andrew Tombs said it was, at the time, one of the easiest proposals to get through the company’s Board and they saw the benefit of Electric Vehicles taking advantage of the distribution infrastructure already installed to use to better effect.

New Zealand Waves The Flag at International EV Symposium