EV incentives to Cabinet early this year
Electric bike fan Julie Anne Genter.
New incentives encouraging the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) will be considered by Parliament’s senior ministers in its Cabinet early in 2019.
So says associate transport minister Julie Anne Genter who told Stuff she recognised extra measures are needed to make EVs more affordable and to ensure Kiwis have access to the same models of electric and low emission vehicles sold overseas.
‘‘I intend to take a number of electric vehicle policies options to Cabinet early this year,’’ Genter says.
‘‘Electric vehicles are a triple win for New Zealand – they’re cheap to run, they cut our dependence on imported oil, and eliminate climate-damaging pollution.”
Genter made the comments after industry lobby group Drive Electric warned New Zealand had little hope of meeting the target set by the previous Government of having 64,000 EVs on the road by 2021.
The Government launched a $100 million Green Fund late last year to help businesses reduce emissions under a new entity Green Investment Finance Ltd.
Early this year the Government confirmed it aims to switch its fleet to zero emissions by 2026, while climate change minister Climate change minister James Shaw has also signalled new policy initiatives are coming to help increase EV uptake.
Speculation includes a possible “feebate” scheme where EVs attract financial incentives such as rebates while importing new and used polluting vehicles face fees, the scheme recommended by the Productivity Commission.
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