Mercury energises Kiwis on the road

This story first appeared in the July issue of EVTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

Long known as an electricity generator and retailer, Mercury is now at the forefront of getting Kiwis to go electric on the road.

Not just in electric cars either – the power company is championing electric bikes too.

And it all makes sense with New Zealand perfectly suited to electric transport, particularly with more than 80% of the country’s power generated from renewable sources, including hydro and geothermal.

Mercury sees electric vehicles (EVs) as the country’s largest green-growth opportunity, helping to free it from a reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Zero emissions have got to be good for you and the country. And great for the pocket too, it says.

The 30 cents per litre equivalent cost of fuelling an EV compared with a standard fossil fuel (around $2 a litre) vehicle means substantial energy and transport savings.

Hard-earned export dollars are kept in the country as well, with an estimated $3 billion saved annually just from the petrol and diesel used in light passenger vehicles, Mercury says.

To help power business fleets along the electric highway, Mercury launched an initiative with Air New Zealand in 2016, seeing 30 leading businesses commit to having at least 30% EVs in their fleets by 2019.

That represents about 1450 EVs.

The initiative is one of the largest voluntary sustainability projects in New Zealand business history. It has the potential to take about three million kilos of carbon emissions out of our environment every year.
Mercury says the payback will be huge – for the organisations involved, the people, the country and, ultimately, the planet.

About 40% of Mercury’s total fleet now comprises electric plug-ins or plug-in hybrids. It’s aiming for 70% by the end of next year.
The company supports the uptake of e-bikes too, partnering with electric bike suppliers to offer up to $500 off selected e-bikes for Mercury customers.
Sales are booming, so much so that e-bikes are already the biggest selling EV (or micro-EV) here.

In a recent Newsroom interview, Mercury chief executive Fraser Whineray backs the transition to EVs.
He reckons New Zealand should accelerate the move to EVs and, in doing so, transform the economy.

We still depend too much on imported fossil fuels, he says.
People are often surprised about the cost savings in using EVs, Whineray says.

“Everything has a transport component to it so if that transport is being done at 30c a litre it should produce a more productive economy.”
Benefits also include reduced maintenance.

Whineray says more than enough power can be generated to cater for New Zealand going fully electric in its vehicles.
Meanwhile, Mercury’s also offering an EV ‘fuel’ package. If you are a plug-in vehicle owner and a Mercury customer, you can save 20% on your entire home’s electricity costs between 11pm to 7am daily.

Click HERE for details.