Bid for FE in NZ
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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Tax the Polluters
Can New Zealand reach Norway's standard for electric vehicles?
Norway has surpassed the rest of us - they have the largest electric vehicle (EV) ownership per capita in the world.
With more than 200,000 plug-in EVs recorded at the end of last year, the number continues to rise as the country aims to sell only zero carbon-emission cars by 2025.
So how does New Zealand compare? Christina Bu is the Norwegian Electric Vehicles Association secretary general and she spoke to The AM Show on Monday.
NZer uses EV to power property during power cut.
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.
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Alpine Opens Their Doors to EV Group
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.
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Model X Visits Schools


EVS31 - An Overview
New Zealand Waves The Flag at International EV Symposium

Recipe for Reducing Traffic Pollution
During the recent 2018 International Drive Electric Week, I was lucky enough to test out the smooth drive of a brand new Yoogo Share BMW i3. It wasn’t just the electric glide, but the whole Yoogo Share experience went smoothly.
But after I returned the car I felt quite deflated.
Yoogo Share is a fully electric car sharing service.
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$150 to Drive Right Around Australia
Sylvia Wilson drove around Australia in an electric car. It cost her $150.90.
Wilson, 70, a retired farmer from near Biloela in central Queensland, had planned the trip of a lifetime with her husband, Rod. One impulsive evening in mid-2016 they went online and, sight-unseen, bought a Tesla S75 electric car for the journey.
A few months after Rod died last year, Sylvia announced to her family: “I think I’ll do that trip.
“Most of them were really keen. A couple of them said ‘you’re mad, you’ll never do it’,” Wilson told Guardian Australia.
[The Guardian - 11 Sept 2018]
Read moreEV Gather in Whangarei for IDEW2018
Oscar Boyd,10 thinks EV's are good for the environment and the future of cars.
He's with Rachel Wansbone Customer excellence Manager at Northpower at the EV gathering at Whangārei's Growers Market.
Whangārei, the country's Friendliest Electric Vehicle town, launched Drive Electric Week with a convoy of EVs at the Whangārei Growers Market on Saturday.
[Northern Advocate - 11 Sept 2018]
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