EV rise steady – not spectacular

October EV registrations were up by 421 – not nearly as much as the previous month’s almost 600 increase.

Some of the hesitancy might be due to the October 17 general election, a landslide for Labour, with potential EV buyers waiting to see what might come.

Plenty, by the sound of it, especially now that the NZ First “handbrake” has been removed on EV incentives like those proposed under the initial Clean Car plan which will probably be revised.

Electric and hybrid light vehicle registrations went from 22,625 in September to 23,046 in October – the 421 rise backing predictions New Zealand won’t get near the 32,000 EVs hoped for by the end of this year to reach a 64,000 goal by the end of 2021.

At this rate, the country might make it to about 24,000 EVs by the end of 2020 – about 8000 short of the target.

Used light pure electrics lead the charge – up 183 from 12,018 in September to 12,201 in October.

Next are new light pure electrics – up 104 from 4923 to 5027, followed by used light plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) – increasing by 71 (2066 to 2137) with new light PHEVs up 55 (3426 to 3481).

Heavy EVs still plod along – up eight in October from 192 to 200.

What does all this mean for EV dealers and buyers?

You can find out in the November issue of EVs and Beyond magazine.