Read our new Electric Homes and Vehicles report
We can have increasing choice from a pool of leading brands, but how do we give everyday Kiwis the choice of a car that can save them money right now? We see New Zealand's Middle Million, the people who can't access a green loan or low-cost finance. With Rewiring Aotearoa and Drive Electric New Zealand we've looked at how countries keep the fleets fresh and affordable for families and essential workers. It's not rocket science, well-structured leasing schemes giving people access to pre-tax salary (even for just a couple of years) could put $100 a week back into the family shopping budget and get you into a new EV. In hard times we could learn from other markets on how to create wins for our families and our economy.
Read moreDownload the document hereElectric vehicles are increasingly pulling into New Zealand workshops - and mechanics need the right qualifications to work on them safely. High-voltage battery systems carry risks for untrained technicians, and as EVs become a larger share of the national fleet, workshops without qualified staff risk being left behind. Some vehicle manufacturers are also beginning to require demonstrated technician competency as a condition of warranty-related work - a trend that is expected to grow. Here's where the training is on offer.
Read moreDownloadSolar and storage on farms has been going off like a frog in a sock recently. And Federated Farmers has made it a big part of its election manifesto. While Wayne Langford recently missed out on a fourth term as president, he's a Bright Spark in our books for all the work he's done to get this issue on the political radar and help speed up adoption.
Read moreDownload"To emphasise both the risk and the opportunity for New Zealand’s political economy, the price of Brent crude hit US$100 a barrel again on Friday, which is likely to push petrol prices back towards $3.50/litre. But New Zealand’s uptake of EVs, home solar, home batteries and grid-scale solar and batteries is lagging far behind most other countries, who have incentives and national strategies to electrify fast."
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