Rapidly changing emissions standard makes EV conference hot ticket

With the world for dealers and distributors set to change massively over the next few years off the back of the Clean Car Import Standard and other moves to reduce emissions, demand has spiked for an electric vehicle conference on Waiheke Island held March 1 and 2, 2021.

Register now.

The EVs and Beyond Conference features an array of key industry speakers, who will look at the electrification of the fleet and other ways carbon is being reduced in the transportation space.

One of the keynote speakers, Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr, will be facing the trade for the first time since releasing a government-commissioned report calling for a ban on petrol and diesel light vehicles from 2030.

“The conference will provide a crash-course on the electric vehicle industry, and attendees will come away with a healthy array of valuable contacts,” conference general manager Deborah Baxter says.

“Where else would you be able to get access to industry members and thought leaders like Dr Rod Carr at such a pivotal time.”

“This event is now a must-attend for any dealer or distributor who wants to be ready for what is coming.”

Speakers in the automotive sphere will cover a range of topics, including where our electric vehicles will be coming from in the coming years, what the country needs to achieve and what the government needs to do to assist the industry.

Former MG New Zealand country manager Anthony McLean will discuss launching an EV into a market, the challenges, and what role China will have in the future of EV supply. Industry analyst Phil Haynes will discuss the impact of electric on fleets and how taxation can assist in uptake.

Hayden Johnston of Genuine Vehicle Imports will discuss how the used industry will supply the ongoing demand for used electric vehicles.

Hyundai New Zealand’s Gavin Young details the companies experience with running a small fleet of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on New Zealand roads, and what we can expect to see from them in the form of trucks and buses in the future.

Simon McManus from ITS New Zealand will discuss the unbundling of transport.

Aaron Gillon of YHI will discuss what is coming in EV charging technology, and with partner ChargeNet will look at a fleet operation case study.

YHI is sponsoring the conference which is hosted by AutoTalk managing editor Richard Edwards, who will also lead question and answer sessions with speakers and attendees.

YHI is also sponsoring the attendance of rally ace Hayden Paddon , who will discuss his groundbreaking project to build and race his electric Hyundai Kona on day two of the seminar, and will also be interviewed by EVs and Beyond managing editor Richard Edwards during the gala dinner at the end of the first day.

Paddon’s Kona features two motors and has a power output in excess of 400kWh. The majority of the vehicle has been designed in-house at Paddon Rallysport in Central Otago.

Meanwhile some great companies are backing The EVent with sponsorship, including two ‘platinum’ sponsors in YHI Energy – a leader in battery, solar, storage and EV charging – and ChargeNet, the company responsible for New Zealand’s major EV charging network.

Other sponsors include Fuso Trucks and UDC finance (both gold sponsors), GVI electric vehicles, Singer Electrical, and Autosure and SG Equipment (silver sponsors).

As one of last year’s speakers, Helen Fitt, postdoctoral fellow at Lincoln University, puts it: “I thoroughly enjoyed the inaugural EVs & Beyond conference. I particularly valued the opportunities to get to know people working in different parts of the EV sector, and some of the conversations begun at the conference have led into later connections and collaborations.
I am wholeheartedly looking forward to attending again in 2021.”

Click HERE or email deborah@automediagroup.co.nz – or for information on any aspect of the EVent phone 027 530 5016