My name is Dee West and I want to share with you a love story.

This story first appeared in the March issue of EVTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

This is a story about my enduring love affair with electric vehicles. As is the case in any good love story, there are characters and conflicts, trials and triumphs.

The fuel that feeds the furnace of my affection is the belief that New Zealand can and should be energy independent.

The idea of living in a safe, clean and net export energy economy sends me swooning daily.

The living vessel that houses this ardent desire is the clean, quiet and often humble electric vehicle (EV).

I get into LOLGAS (7-seater Tesla P85+) and I feel safe and happy as a glide si-lently around this beautiful country sharing my enthusiasm for EV with strangers and friends alike.

I feel the same way when I get into the much less flashy, but equally quiet and comfortable, Nissan Leaf. Every time I take a drive in an electric car my keenness is rejuvenated.

Unlike any tragic love story of old, this story is bound to have a very happy ending.

The reason I can confidently make that assertion is that there are dozens of countries who have happily wed them-
selves to the electric vehicle revolution and are very much living happily ever after.

Norway, for example, has seen a phenomenal uptake in EV technology, and their carbon emissions, local economy, and drivers are often showcased on the world stage, for being so much better for it.

In spite of dastardly vil-lains, like greed and fear, occasionally gnashing their teeth and trying to keep

Kiwis tied to costly and wasteful internal combustion engine technology (we call them ICE vehicles).

These bad guys sometimes spread fear or lies, about running out of energy and being stranded on the side of the road if one should take the plunge and become a starry-eyed electric car driver, like me and so many of my friends.
You can plug your electric vehicle in anywhere you can plug in a hair dryer. So, if you are running low and have time to stop in and see a friend or colleague for a cup of coffee, you’ll be able to get a top up and keep moving, provided you have access to a socket and extension chord.

Once there is a robust fast charging network in place, households and businesses around New Zealand will be able to travel anywhere with ease. Fast charging will also keep us moving quickly as they can put around 100km range into their vehicles in well under 20 minutes.

That means sales teams and vehicle fleets can be electrified, and more drivers will be able to fall in love all over again with their commuter experience.

New Zealand already boasts 80% renewably sourced electrical energy.

We have sun, water and wind that will keep on powering us far into the future.

It makes so much sense to harness this to keep us moving.

Having our commuters fall in love with, and engage in a long term committed relationship with electric cars, will buoy our local economy.

Energy and infrastructure companies owned and operated by locals will collect the profits from more use of our
clean energy network. That means we don’t have to send our money offshore by buying in foreign oil
from countries that don’t always treat us with the respect we deserve. We deserve to be cherished and nurtured by partners who have the same dreams and goals, not having flings with flashy types who won’t value us.

We’re better off in a nice stable relationship, to help us create a healthy and stable environment ,to raise future
generations.

Personally, I live and breathe the EV revolution. I spend my days giddy with
excitement about meeting with other people who are as deeply and importantly in
love with the safety, comfort and performance of EV technology.

I get to be a part of the national EV community, who are a cohesive and effective group of people and
organisations that relish opportunities to spend time together. We meet in online communities, and jump at
opportunities to get together for formal and social occasions.
Over the next few years,

I want to encourage as many people as possible to feel confident that they can embark on the same healthy
love affair, as I did so many years ago.