EV charging rates well with Kiwis

Electric vehicle charging gets a thumbs up from many New Zealanders, especially in a global comparison.

About 40% of Kiwi respondents in an Ipsos Global Advisor Study gave a positive rating to New Zealand’s EV charging infrastructure compared with just 24% globally.

And 51% of New Zealanders also approved of wind energy as against 34% in other countries.

The study regularly asks respondents from around the world for their views on different topics.

It did a study across 29 countries, mainly in July and August 2019, to explore the perceptions of infrastructure conditions.

In New Zealand, 561 people aged 18-74 participated in the November 2019 survey here and 55% agreed more work is needed.

Ipsos New Zealand research director Amanda Dudding says climate change is also impacting views on infrastructure.

“More New Zealanders are dissatisfied with our defences against rising sea levels than when we asked two years ago and around a third of New Zealanders would like to see more investment in solar and wind energy infrastructure.

“Transport infrastructure is another area New Zealanders would like to see more investment – in both roading and rail.

“There are a number of areas where our satisfaction with infrastructure stacks up well globally though, especially around our airports, digital infrastructure, water supply and sewerage, EV charging and wind energy,” Dudding says.

Less than half of New Zealanders (46%) are satisfied with New Zealand’s national infrastructure, while 89% are satisfied with the quality of our airports, well above the 67% global average.

Just 28% are satisfied with solar energy infrastructure, behind the Australian result of 40% where solar has taken off, but not dissimilar to the global average of 33%.

Of all infrastructure types, New Zealanders are most likely to want new housing supply to be the government’s top priority (55%), followed by major and local road networks (46% and 41%, respectively).

Just 19% want EV charging infrastructure prioritised.