EVworld Conference in north and south this year

Challenges to achieve the government’s target of 64,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2021 will be among topics at the upcoming EVworld Conference.

This year the conference is being held twice – first in the North Island on August 10-11, followed by the South Island on November 23-24.

Conferenz will host the conference and expo at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland, EVworld South then being held for the first time, in Christchurch at the Airforce Museum.

Both events will bring together EV leaders to discuss how to meet the challenges and provide a forum for cross-industry collaboration.

Last month, the premiere energy sector conference, NZ Downstream, hosted by Freeman Media and Conferenz, brought the attention of the industry to EV uptake across the country.

The ‘EV super panel’ comprised industry experts Mark Gilbert, Mark Lloyd, Steve West, Nigel Broomhall, Nick Robillard, and David Freeman-Greene, highlighting the success with EVs in New Zealand, with registrations currently surpassing those in Australia.

Gilbert outlined the challenges of New Zealand’s geographic location, as we are “technology takers”, representing just 10 minutes of BMW’s annual production cycle.

A theme of collaboration was reiterated throughout the event, with panellists emphasising the need to provide innovative solutions to further accelerate New Zealand’s EV uptake.

Panel facilitator Broomhall says it’s necessary to work together to create an environment which better enables uptake.

“In a market that is rapidly growing, and which represents both opportunity and challenge to the industry, it was heartening to see an overwhelming desire for collaboration. A key challenge will be resisting the desire to attempt to go above and beyond the rest of the world,” he says.

“New Zealand is a technology taker in the EV space and should not attempt to impose regulation out of synch with global markets, or try to solve potential technical challenges with financial disincentives when most technology challenges have been solved in other markets using technology.”

Visit www.evworld.nz

for more about the August and November conferences.