Five Priorities to promote electric vehicle uptake
Not-for-profit group Drive Electric has outlined five key priorities it is encouraging the new government to support as New Zealand moves towards an electric vehicle future. Drive Electric chairman Mark Gilbert says the priorities help identify many of the changes that come with switching to EVs. “Transitioning New Zealand’s fleet to electric vehicles won’t happen […]
APEC Electric Vehicle and Hydrogen Workshop Overview – Mark Gilbert
The objectives of the day were to: Increase dialogue about the benefits, opportunities and challenges of deploying EV and hydrogen technologies Demonstrate the rapid pace of change in technology development and costs of these technologies to ensure that policymakers can make sound long-term investment decisions Identify barriers and share best policy practise to stimulate the […]
NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards
Congratulations to all finalists of the 2017 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards! Special mention to our member organisations that are finalists: Dee and Steve West of ChargeNet are finalists for the Sustainability Superstar Award Dee and Steve have been amazing ambassadors for EVs in New Zealand for many years now. Not only have they rolled […]
November Member Updates
YOOGO Yoogo’s Electric Car Sharing Scheme is rolling into Christchurch EV readers may notice a jump in Hyundai Ioniq and BMW i3 registrations in New Zealand. Yoogo Share has been the catalyst. This week their first pure EV’s roll into Christchurch with city-based vehicle numbers increasing to 100 BEV’s by March 2018. With Yoogo Share’s […]
Media release: Driverless future on the horizon
Vehicles that can drive themselves might seem like something straight out of a science fiction film. But new research from Drive Electric shows autonomous vehicles will be a reality much sooner than many people think. The not-for-profit group’s latest white paper The Road to a Driverless Future shows just how quickly the technology is progressing. […]
Media release: FBT “Switch” scheme for electric vehicles entering corporate fleets would drive more corporate demand
Not-for-profit group Drive Electric is encouraging the new government to look at a fringe benefit tax (FBT) innovation that would encourage corporate uptake of electric vehicles. Drive Electric’s suggested “Switch” scheme would involve the incoming EV attracting the lower FBT rate of the outgoing fossil fuel vehicle. FBT is lower on fossil fuel vehicles because […]
Shared EV Fleet for Christchurch
Drive Electric Member Yoogo, an innovative Kiwi fleet management company, has been selected by the Christchurch City Council to implement the largest transition of combustion engines to shared electric vehicles in the Southern Hemisphere. Supported by EECA’s Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, Yoogo will initially launch 70 electric vehicles across three city hubs in late […]
New Member Profile – Nigel Broomhall of Chargemaster
In 2009 Meridian Energy’s electric vehicle program brought 3 commercial prototype Mitsubishi iMievs into New Zealand. It was the first time in Mitsubishi’s history that they had ever allowed one of their prototypes out of the country, let alone 3. They were of course closely monitored every step of their journey across NZ. This was […]
EVs ways of the future: Gilbert
Drive Electric chairman Mark Gilbert is passionate about electric vehicles (EVs). He leads the not-for-profit group, which advocates for the uptake of EVs. “As a country, we’ve really got to embrace electric vehicles and talk about them in the same breath as petrol and diesel ones,” Gilbert says. Drive Electric has many functions, from lobbying […]
“Rapid switch to electric cars could put pressure on electricity grid” – Interview with Eric Pellicer
Eric Pellicer is the Commercial Manager at Powerco. In an interview on Newstalk ZB’s Larry Williams Drive show, he discusses the implications of a rapid uptake of EVs could have on our electricity network, and how this can be a great opportunity for some creative problem-solving. Click here to listen to the interview in full.