Local News
New Zealand Market Report
Q3
Business wants EV numbers boosted by 75%
New Zealanders
are already on
this journey
with over half
of all EVs in this
country owned
privately.
While much of the
focus lately has been on
autonomous vehicles,
electric vehicles are
already well entrenched
on New Zealand’s roads.
Their numbers are set to
grow, with New Zealand
companies pledging
increased use of EVs on
their corporate fleets.
N
Z business leaders have
come together, with a
shared vision to transition
their fleets to electric vehicles (EVs)
and increase the number on the
road by more than 75 per cent in
the next three years.
The initiative is driven jointly by
Air New Zealand and Mercury,
with the support of Westpac,
representing a corporate sector
commitment of more than 1,450
vehicles.
Mercury introduced plug-in
vehicles to its business more than
five years ago and will have a
more than 70 per cent plug-in
electric car fleet by 2018. Westpac
is committing to transition itself
to 80 electric fleet vehicles by
2019, while Air New Zealand will
transition more than 75 per cent
of its light vehicle ground fleet to
electric vehicles by the end of this
year.
The business leaders, representing
more than 30 organisations, each
committed to transition at least 30
per cent of their company vehicle
fleets to plug-in electric vehicles by
2019 at the breakfast briefing in
Auckland attended by transport,
energy, and resources minister
Simon Bridges.
Along with the significantly lower
running costs of electricity, this
could remove almost 3 million kg
of carbon emissions annually.
The collective commitment spans
a diverse spectrum of industries
including telecommunications,
transport, waste and facilities
management, finance and energy.
Air New Zealand chief executive
officer Christopher Luxon says
today’s event is a landmark in
addressing New Zealand transport
emissions and demonstrating
genuine sustainability.
“We knew other business leaders
were interested in the potential
of electric vehicles, both from an
environmental and commercial
standpoint,” says Luxon.
“We wanted to get the business
community together to lead
the way on EVs and create the
critical mass of demand necessary
to launch the market in New
Source: http://autotalk.co.nz/news/business-ev-numbers-boosted-75
The BWM I3 is an example of an electric vehicle the New Zealand businesses are keen to embrace
Zealand,” he says.
“I also hope lots of other
organisations will be inspired to
come on board too,” says Luxon
Mercury chief executive, Fraser
Whineray, says the business case for
organisations and the logic of electric
vehicles in New Zealand is evident,
given the country’s renewable
electricity supply, which is the envy
of other nations around the world.
“This is New Zealand’s greatest
green-growth opportunity. It’s very
hard to argue with home-grown fuel
at the equivalent of 30 cents per litre,
no tailpipe emissions, reducing our
dependence on imported fossil fuels
and helping preserve our hard-earned
export dollars,” says Whineray.
“New Zealanders are already on this
journey with over half of all EVs in
this country owned privately. Today’s
commitment by business is
significant both in showing leadership
and because these cars will end up
on the second-hand market, where
most Kiwis buy their cars,” he says.
“Being a good corporate citizen is
not just about the decisions that
organisations make about their
own business but about taking a
broader leadership position,” he
says.Cl
Westpac chief executive, David
McLean, says it was an easy decision
becoming involved and supporting
this initiative.
“We’ve started a trial of EVs, and
we’re committed to building this
out across our fleet over the next
few years and have undertaken to
transition to 80 electric vehicles by
2019,” says McLean.
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