Rewiring CEO and Electric Orchardist Mike Casey appeared on TVNZ's Breakfast recently and talked about how the crisis in Iran has created a 'tipping point' for electric vehicle adoption and the latest figures show almost one quarter of all new cars sold in March had plugs.

Right now, petrol and diesel prices are the primary concerns and while the long-term solution is clear - electrify as many of our 4.3 million light vehicles and as many of our bigger machines as possible - the short-term response is more around reducing demand. That's why he's in favour of public transport incentives in the cities.

High power prices are less of an issue right now (in part because we are not reliant on gas to set the price, unlike some places in Asia and Europe that have seen electricity prices spike as well), but price rises have been in the headlines a lot. This is leading to more homes and businesses than ever investing in solar, something we would like to see a lot more of.

When it comes to solar, EVs and other electric appliances, the upfront cost remains the biggest barrier. Casey says it's worth exploring financing solar through your mortgage or a low-interest green loan as it's an economic slam dunk, but we also need finance solutions for those who don't have that option and would benefit massively from the savings, like pensioners.

The Government has a policy in front of it right now - the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme - that could reduce costs by $1,000-2,000 per year, including paying back the loan. We're hopeful the Government might push it through given the price increases in other areas but, if not, as Chris Chang said in his intro, energy is likely to be a major point of the upcoming election in November.

See our New Zealand-made energy plan here

‍