Residents revolt over ‘silly’ electric vehicle ban

A North Shore retirement village has banned new residents from bringing electric vehicles to the property, sparking a dispute with 47 residents who have labelled the policy “silly” and “unreasonable”.

Fairview Lifestyle Village in Albany implemented the electric vehicle (EV) ban citing safety concerns, but residents say management used scare tactics to justify the decision, the NZ Herald reports.

One resident, who declined to be named, told the Herald that management “tried to scare us to death” about the supposed fire risk electric vehicles posed during resident meetings.

“They felt that electric vehicles – the whole setup, vehicles, the chargers, the equipment associated with it – were hazardous in the extreme and would burn buildings down,” the resident says.

“So they had a couple of presentations where they tried to scare us to death with pictures of cars and flames and things like that.”

The resident says management also attempted to “retroactively impose” the policy on existing residents, though complaints and a subsequent mediation process have left the matter unresolved.

Safety concerns amid recent incidents

The village’s policy comes as several electric vehicle fires have made headlines recently, including a blaze that killed a bus driver on Tāmaki Drive in Auckland last month.

Fire and Emergency later confirmed the fire started in the car’s engine following a crash between the electric bus and a car. Bus operator Kinetic said an investigation found the batteries in the bus were undamaged and not a factor in the blaze.

Another fire in October saw 30 cars destroyed in a Whangārei carpark, including several electric vehicles. Fire investigator Jason Goffin said it was most likely an accidental fire from a hot exhaust pipe igniting grass in the centre of the carpark.

Residents question policy rationale

The affected resident questioned the policy’s practicality given increasing electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid sales.

“The conditions seem to us to be unfair and unreasonable in anybody’s interpretation,” he says.

“The suggestion is, with a village full of elderly residents who can’t flee, they’re going to have 120 people burnt to a crisp. But you look around at the modern car market and the rate at which electric vehicles are coming in, it’s just stunning, and if they were a worldwide hazard that burst into flames and destroyed communities, we’d know about it, but it’s just not there.”

The resident says management “just says no” when disgruntled residents present their arguments.

A spokesperson for Fairview Lifestyle Village, via a public relations company, confirmed it had “introduced a policy for electric vehicle safety” following consultation with residents.

“The policy is currently subject to a mediation process and the village is unable to provide further detail at this stage,” the village says.

The policy was reportedly implemented before March this year, with a village newsletter issued then thanking residents for their feedback since the policy came into effect.

Management did not respond to questions about whether the policy covers electric mobility scooters or other electric vehicles.