Whangarei District Council considering plug-in hybrid fleet vehicles

A new fleet replacement policy agreed by Whangarei District Council will see fuel-powered vehicles replaced by plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV).

According to Stuff, the council is deciding to adopt an ‘electric first’ fleet vehicle policy to be put into place before June 30.

The move to electrify the fleet follows councillor Stuart Bell placing a notice of motion at the council’s March 30 meeting.

Bell says the benefits are beyond purely environmental, since being able to “use energy from within our borders has to save money.”

Mayor Sheryl Mai says she voted for the new vehicle policy as she believes it is the way of the future but asked whether there had been enough information presented at the meeting.

Deputy mayor Sharon Morgan and councillor Cherry Hermon voted against the policy, wanting more information and costs based on EV use in Whangarei, rather than the information supplied by Bell from the Greater Wellington Regional Council, using its district as a cost model.