The case for energy loans: read our latest explainer
When it comes to electric farming, "the numbers are becoming undeniable," says Nicholson Poultry's Jeff Collings. With 60kW of solar, a Nissan Leaf as a 'farm quad', electric mowers, an electric ute that can run a water blaster, and even a chicken manure scraper made out of a wrecked Tesla that, as Rewiring's Matt Newman says, looks a bit like something out of Mad Max, "almost everything is electric". There aren't many others in New Zealand who have gone this far down the electric road. And, with his electric Stark Varg, the fastest off-road motorbike in the world, he's obviously having plenty of fun on that road, too.
Read moreDownload the document hereWhether you're looking for an electric fruit picker, a farm workhorse, a high-end golf cart, a food and beverage hauler, a mobility scooter or a fold-up e-bike, Barry Hillyer could be the man you need to talk to. The E-motors showroom in Queenstown is home to an impressive collection of smaller electric machines and, while the big electric stuff like diggers and loaders creates plenty of attention, the small end of town is where the rubber is hitting the road in many other markets, where a lot of the innovation is happening and where the options are increasingly making economic sense.
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