The case for energy loans: read our latest explainer
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."
"We've lost the cops!" In our next instalment of Political Power, we managed to get David Seymour, deputy prime minister and leader of the Act Party, behind the wheel of a Zeekr 7x when he was in Queenstown recently. As is often the case when people take a new EV for a spin, there was much chortling as he gave it heaps up the Remarkables ski field road - and, if we take him at his word, we might even see him give Mike Casey's tractor heaps up Parliament steps in the future.
Read moreDownloadEVs are having a moment right now, so how can we get more people driving electric; Tom Selleck sums up how EV owners are feeling right now and staggering analysis shows the sun's prices have been unaffected by decades of geopolitical conflict; Scion goes solar to get off gas, while dairy farmers and homes go with solar and batteries to keep going; Saul Griffith takes his solar-powered scooter to Canberra and starts a fight with regulators; the Cancer Society's Lions Lodge in Hamilton gets some panels donated and will save $17,000 a year; and killing the Friday vibe with new studies on how fossil fuel companies made massive profits after the last energy crisis in 2022 and carbon emissions making our blood boil - perhaps quite literally.
Read moreDownloadAn electrification advocate says the rising price and falling supply of gas may not be a bad thing in the long-term. PwC research —commissioned by Gas Industry Co— has found New Zealand's gas market will need to shrink sharply as domestic supply declines. It warns this could mean business closures, job losses, and higher energy costs.