'This car can...' Check out our new campaign
There are a lot of cool EVs out there, but Christchurch International Airport has the coolest one in the country - and cackling man-child Mike Casey got to experience it recently.
The airport took possession of the country's first electric firetruck last year and, as head of fire service operations Tim Evans says, the impressive Rosenbauer machine has a number of different electric motors and a backup diesel engine that allows it to run for a total of ten hours.
Speed is of the essence when it comes to responding to incidents and it can do 0 - 80 km/h in 25 seconds. That might not seem fast when compared with modern EVs that can do 0 - 100 in 3 seconds, but it is much quicker than the old diesel vehicle that it replaced.
The electric version also offers other benefits in terms of operations. Having no chassis means there is much more space, which allows the team to get into their kit in the vehicle and then get out quickly; four-wheel steering means it can turn on a dime ("try and do that in a normal fire truck"); electric mirrors ensure it's safe to exit before they open the door; and the pump and roll feature means it can spray water while moving, which older firetrucks find difficult to do.
Another bonus: despite pumping out a 3,000 litres of water a minute, it is basically silent in the cab.
While Evans says there were some more conservative types in the organisation who weren't sure it was a good idea to go electric, the staff love using it and another even bigger electric firetruck is on its way soon.
"We really do like this vehicle" - which is a very common response to electric equivalents, no matter which end of the size spectrum you're at.
And, with the massive Kōwhai Park solar farm going up on the other side of the runway, those cheap local electrons will soon be powering more of their machines.
There are a lot more New Zealanders looking for EVs right now as concerns about the price and availability of fuel rises. But many of them are new to the scene. Here are some things to consider to ensure you get the right EV for your needs.
Read moreDownloadThere’s a lot of talk about what electric vehicles can’t do and plenty of myths and misperceptions that might stop people from upgrading. But the people who actually own EVs? They’re overwhelmingly sold and recent research showed that 96% of EV owners would buy another one. That's why we're launching 'This Car Can...' We want to tap into that electric enthusiasm and convince more New Zealanders who may be on the fence to start running on cheap local electrons rather than on expensive imported foreign molecules.
EV owners love all the things their cars can do - and they can do a lot of different things these days. So we're asking them to share a story about their EV experience, upload a photo and tell us what their car can do, or send in a video.
We'll add them to the campaign page and we'll use the best ones on socials and in our advocacy to show how lots of different New Zealanders are benefitting from EVs in their lives.
We've also compiled a whole heap of information on why we love EVs - from the savings to the speed off the mark and everything inbetween.
Get in behind!