Winston Peters no longer an EV ‘handbrake’

Labour’s sweeping election victory means “the handbrake that was NZ First is all but vaporised”, so let’s get on with an e-mobility action plan, Drive Electric chair Mark Gilbert says.

“I think we will get some traction now,” says Gilbert. “But what it will look like I don’t yet know.”

He says Drive Electric sent recommendations

to various political parties prior to the October 17 general election and that both Labour and the Green Party talked about the Clean Car plan concept.

“They probably don’t want to roll out exactly what they did before so we’ve got to get them to engage more with the industry and stakeholders,” Gilbert says.

He says work on the plan – which included emission standards and a possible ‘feebate’ scheme – needs to progress quickly, especially in light of the United Kingdom’s plan to ban sales of new fossil fuel vehicles by 2030 and accelerate EV uptake.

“It’s an opportunity for New Zealand to crank on in this space with the Climate Change Commission due to report soon, so we’d like to see what a declaration on transport will look like.”

The commission’s first package of advice is expected to be open for public consultation between February 1 and March 16 next year.

Gilbert says it’s early days for the new government but he’s confident something around e-mobility will happen, especially as other groups like the Automobile Association chimed in before the election with requests for a clear road map for safer, greener vehicles and boosting the benefits of buying an EV.

“There still needs to be an action plan,” Gilbert insists. “One that recognises those that will be impacted, including social equity where electric car share will be part of a total e-mobility system.”