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There are plenty of clever cookies working on electric innovations across the motu and there aren't many cleverer than Garry Peek, the main brains behind Peek Robotics.
There are plenty of clever cookies working on electric innovations across the motu and there aren't many cleverer than Garry Peek, the main brains behind Peek Robotics.
Whether you're looking to mow the grass, spray the weeds or haul the fruit, Grover doesn't need diesel or a driver.
With a huge number of cameras and sensors, it can keep on trucking when you're not looking (and avoid anything that gets in its way) and the ability to swap out batteries quickly means there's no waiting to charge up.
Aside from the obvious productivity gains, its electric platform reduces CO₂ emissions by more than 95% compared to a diesel tractor performing the same task.
As he says: "This is the obvious future."
If you've got solar, the best option is to use as much of it as possible to avoid high grid prices, but being paid to export energy is a nice cherry on top. It means many New Zealanders end up getting paid by their power company and shorten the payback period of their systems. Regulatory changes that meant customers would be paid more for exporting at peak times were meant to make batteries more appealing to customers and reduce the need for more investment in expensive poles and wires, but, as Marc Daalder writes in Newsroom, some retailers are not passing on the full value of those exports.
Read moreDownloadFinancial commentator Frances Cook uses her own story to show that that an investment in solar and an EV significantly outperforms the stock market and fellow number cruncher Nadine Higgins says that if you do it right, EVs are cheaper to run and own; EV sales have climbed to their highest level since 2022 and are closing in on 2023's numbers and Go Rentals has just invested $2.3 million in some new Tesla Model Y Premiums; the gap between energy costs of diesel vans and utes and electric vans and utes is absolutely massive; solar is also going off right now, with one installer in Otago 448% above their sales target in March; Lightforce has gone back to the Barretts with a new TV ad; Wellington mayor Andrew Little explains its electrification strategy and Hutt City Council shares data showing how its fleet has gone from dirty Toyotas to cleaner EVs; Shenzen in China has electrified its public transport and taxis and that's come with big benefits - and some challenges; and a very simple illustration of the LNG terminal.
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