$3.2m EECA funding for 24 e-mobility projects

Electric truck, bus and bike projects share in a $3.2 million government funding allocation.

The 24 successful applicants for round eight of the low emission vehicles contestable fund have been announced by energy and resources minister Dr Megan Woods.

Recipients contribute a total $5m themselves under the fund administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

The new projects encourage EV and e-bike uptake.

For the first time, organisations could apply for co-funding to install secure e-bike storage facilities to encourage uptake, with five such projects approved.

“Demand for e-bikes is high, but we know one barrier to regular e-bike commuting is having somewhere safe to store the bike,” Woods says.

“Decarbonising the transport sector represents a huge opportunity to reduce the country’s emissions and enabling people to shift to a different transport mode plays a part in that.”

Woods notes a number of previously funded ventures and spin-offs have hit the road in the last few months.

They include Foodstuffs launching the first fully electric heavy refrigerated truck in the country, a NZ Post scheme to assist its contract drivers to buy electric delivery vans, and Asthma New Zealand buying EVs for its mobile nurses to reduce air pollution.

“The contestable fund encourages innovation and investment to accelerate the uptake of low emission vehicles in New Zealand,” Woods adds.

“The success of previously-funded projects shows that we can meet New Zealand’s transport needs across a variety of sectors, giving other organisations the confidence to make their own investments.”

Some projects to receive the latest funding include secure e-bike storage projects at the University of Otago, Hawke’s Bay Airport, Whakatane District Council, Big Street Bikers (Wellington) and Invercargill City Council; Tranzit for plans to convert a diesel bus to electric in Masterton, and Davis Food Ingredients to buy two electric trucks and testing electric and eutectic refrigeration technologies.

Among several other recipients are ChargeNet NZ to install multi-connection 300kW high-speed chargers at Smales Farm (North Shore), Christchurch, Bulls and Kaiwaka; Mahu City Express for testing a battery leasing solution for electric buses, urban cohousing development Cohaus will install two slow EV chargers as part of a car share scheme; and Critchlow Geospatial will develop software to help fleet owners work out the cost effectiveness of EVs in their fleets.

This round of funding takes the total number of projects funded to date to 163, worth a combined $27m in government funding, matched by $55m in applicant funding.

Round nine closes on September 14 with successful projects expected to be announced in December.

The full list of 24 round eight successful applicants will feature in the EVs and Beyond September magazine.