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When it comes to increasing EV adoption, the people in the car yards can be very influential. There are always a lot of questions to answer and a lot of misperceptions to confront and Cordt Bensemann from Eastwood Motor Group has been doing that in the Wairarapa.
Kia is one automotive brand that has embraced the electric future and it continues to release new models into the market, from a rare seven seater to the smaller SUVs with big ranges. While it can be a big leap for some, those who have gone electric generally love it. They find the EVs easy to use, quiet, quick and cheaper to run.
He has never had anyone buy an EV and come back for an ICE car and the research shows that's the norm, with over 90% of buyers sticking with electrons.
As Mike Casey, a very happy Kia EV9 owner says: "Once you have them, they're pretty sticky."
When Mike Casey bought his house near Cromwell, it came with gas bottles on the side of the home for water and an expensive diesel system for the underfloor heating. He replaced both of them with a Steibel Eltron system and it's been saving him money ever since. As technical manager Bhawesh Singh told him at the Electrify Queenstown conference, there has been a big influx in enquiries from homes looking to get off the molecules and onto electrons.
Read moreDownloadConfidence that cutting regulations to make solar power more accessible - won't jeopardise people's safety. A new Regulation Ministry reports laid out a potential blueprint to legalise plug-in solar and reduce the time and cost of panel installation. Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey shares his thoughts with Andrew Dickens.
The burgeoning demand for solar was also a chance to address a mismatch between the numbers of training opportunities available and young people searching for work, Casey said. "The mums of New Zealand are telling me that there's not enough apprenticeships for their kids and the solar installers of New Zealand are telling me there's not enough trained people."
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