Global EV traveller meets energy minister
Mira Woldberg, left, Megan Woods and Wiebe Wakker.
Dutch EV traveller Wiebe Wakker met energy and resources minister Megan Woods on June 28 at parliament, joined by Netherlands ambassador to New Zealand Mira Woldberg before heading south.
Wakker drove his fully electric ‘Blue Bandit’ converted VW station wagon from the Netherlands to Wellington in three years.
The founder of the ‘Plug Me In’ project to drive an EV across the world to prove how reliable sustainable mobility can be, Wakker left Amsterdam in March 2016, crossing 34 countries and driving nearly 100,000km.
It’s the world’s longest EV journey, and the record will soon be definitive when Wakker reaches Bluff, his final destination.
Wakker is impressed with New Zealand’s EV awareness and says a fast-charger can be found nearly every 70km on the highway network, making it one of the best places to drive an EV.
“The downside at the moment is that the initial costs of an EV are high,” he says.
“There are a number of ways governments could do more to incentivise the uptake. These will make it more attractive for people to purchase an EV which is important to tackle climate change. New Zealand’s electricity is more than 80% renewable, so it makes perfect sense to drive electric in this country.”
Woods says she drives an EV and that the Government is considering options to make it more attractive for New Zealanders to start driving electric.
Woldberg spoke about the Dutch government’s commitment to only sell zero-emission cars and to reach 1.8 million charging stations by 2030.
About 45,000 EVs are on the road in the Netherlands.
Praising Wakker for being an EV ambassador, Woldberg says he’s inspired the embassy to use an electric bike or the ambassador’s hybrid car rather than an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.
Wakker has begun the South Island final leg of his journey and hopes to return north to attend the EVworld event in Auckland on August 1-3 before heading home.
Thousands of people are following his EV journey through social media and his plugmeinproject.com website.
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