EV Auckland bypass lanes trial ends

Electric vehicles will no longer be able to use priority motorway onramp lanes in Auckland from midnight on September 7.

The NZ Transport Agency introduced a bylaw a year ago allowing EVs to use 11 priority bypass lanes on state highways in Auckland for a 12-month trial.

This bylaw, designed to test whether access to priority lanes might encourage EV uptake, expires on September 7.

The move follows an NZTA survey of 232 Auckland EV owners which showed the priority lanes were not a significant factor in their decision to buy an EV, despite the priority lanes being one of the many benefits in having an EV.

In other words, the trial didn’t have any significant impact on EV uptake.

The lanes included onramps at State Highway 1 around Penrose, Mt Wellington, Albany, Glenfield and Papakura; SH20 at Mangere Bridge and Onehunga, and SH16 at Waterview.