Mercury changes gas-guzzler to electric

Mercury has used Kiwi ingenuity to convert a gas-guzzling 1957 Ford Fairlane to plug-in electric.

It’s considered a poster-child for EVs.

“This car is the true embodiment of energy freedom, and a symbol of our escape from fossil fuel reliance,” Mercury chief executive Fraser Whineray says.

“To have everyone enjoying emission-free vehicles would be wonderful for our country.”

Mercury has long promoted the rational benefits of EVs to New Zealanders. At the equivalent of 30c a litre compared with petrol, and delivering 2000kgs of annual reductions in carbon emissions, households could halve their energy costs and significantly reduce their environmental impact by having an EV, it says.

“EVs have always been an easy decision for the head,” Whineray says. “They’re a practical, economical, clean and quiet alternative to fossil-fuel powered cars. Now it’s time to capture people’s hearts.”

Whineray says converting a classic like this is the perfect way to get people to see how wonderful EVs are. “We’ve kept the original beauty of the car, and added a newer, cleaner engine that’s strong and powerful but just happens to run on electricity. It’s given the car a new lease on life.”

Mercury will use the car to continue to showcase the opportunity New Zealand has with renewable electricity powering our transport.

“We’ve been showing Kiwis how much fun electric bikes can be, now we want to do the same with EVs,” Whineray says.

“We have all the key ingredients needed to electrify transport; one of the best renewable electricity systems on the planet and a raft of already-consented renewable projects in the pipeline.

”If we raised our sights beyond renewable electricity targets to our overall renewable energy use, including transport, New Zealand could make some serious cuts in overall emissions.”

Whineray says any renewable electricity target in New Zealand is not bold enough, even at 100%. “Only 40% of our overall energy consumption is currently from renewable sources. That’s what we need to work on, and by doing so we can leave the rest of the world in the rear-view mirror.”

Mercury called on home-grown experts based in Dunedin, Hamilton and Auckland to manage the conversion of the car, christened ‘Evie’.

“It’s a labour of love, and we hope it’s going to help Kiwis get as excited about EVs as we are,” Whineray says.

Evie will feature in a series of ads and billboards, and on social media, telling the story of living life to the full with an EV.

Video

Watch the experts talk about how they converted Evie to electric. https://mcy.nz/MakingEvie