Aiming high

There are some amazing electric things happening in the aviation space, as we wrote about recently. And some of those amazing things are happening in New Zealand, with Kea Aerospace sending one of its solar-powered unmanned vehicles sky high. 

“Kea Aerospace achieves a major milestone with the Kea Atmos Mk1b, soaring into the stratosphere for the first time. During our high-altitude campaign in January and February 2025, Flight 16 reached an impressive 56,000 feet, marking a breakthrough in our solar-powered UAV program. Taking off from the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre, the aircraft flew for 8 hours and 20 minutes, demonstrating the future of sustainable high-altitude flight.” 

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They like to move it, move it

Back on land, Auckland Transport continues its push to electrify the bus fleet and has “awarded Ritchies the largest ever tendered bus services contract in New Zealand”. 

“Ritchies will deliver expanded bus services in south and west Auckland with a new nine-year, $1.068 billion dollar contract that will see 175 new electric buses introduced on the network.”

We’re seeing much more of this around the country as councils increasingly opt for battery electric bus options  - and we’re seeing much less hydrogen hype for light(ish) transport as projects fail or the costs balloon. 

For a good rundown on one business’s quest to electrify some fairly big machines, check out Reliance Group’s Project Switch, “an ambitious eight-stage program aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and operational efficiency”. 

If you’re looking for something a bit smaller (and slightly swankier), Rivian has started selling its vans publicly in the US after its exclusive deal with Amazon came to an end, so hopefully the electric delivery revolution is starting. 

And for anyone worried about the battery life of your EV, a new study in Australia has shown that EVs are holding up very well indeed - and they’re continuing to drop in price. 

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Energy education

More smart solar news, with Greytown School getting a 78-panel solar array installed by Solarman.

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As The Post reported, “the $60,000 solar system would save the primary school thousands of dollars a year in energy costs and have a return on investment of about five years, David Ross, a member of the board of trustees said.” 

We’re big advocates for solar on school rooftops. It makes so much sense to use that energy during the day when the kids are there and it’s good to see more schools embracing the economic and environmental benefits. 

We’re hopeful that the more kids learn about solar energy and the efficiency of electric machines, the more likely they are to go electric when the time comes. 

All aboard

The Fully Charged show has a large international following, and Forest Lodge Orchard featured in the latest episode as host Robert Llewellyn toured the world’s first electric farm. We love the whole thing, obviously, but we particularly enjoyed seeing hundreds of positive comments underneath the episoide.

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If you want some optimism on climate, check them out.

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Forest Lodge is proof that going electric is cheaper than the fossil fuel focused status quo. Economics tends to win out eventually over politics, incumbency and ideology and, as Casey says, we have a choice between using Saudi Arabian molecules or locally produced (and presumably micro-brewed, single origin, organic) electrons. That choice is becoming increasingly obvious.

Mine your own business

Mining isn’t generally seen as a paragon of environmentalism, but Fortescue in Australia has been pushing hard for a change in the language and for more ambition when it comes to climate. Net zero is a scam, they say, and 2050 is too late. It’s real zero that we need to be aiming for, and doing that requires getting off fossil fuels now. 

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In an open letter signed by a wide range of backers - including Rewiring’s Saul Griffith - it asks the government replace weak net zero targets, rapidly phase out fossil fuel subsidies, and put in place policies that speed up industrial decarbonisation. 

Fortescue has already put in some huge orders for electric equipment and developed its own fast charger technology. 

• To see why electrification is a better option than our current fossil fuel system when it comes to waste, check out our explainer Electricity means Efficiency and if you want to see how it could get even better with recycling and the rise of the circular economy, check out our explainer Closing the Loop.

On the slide

Rewiring is all about household electrification; the dinner table decisions that will save New Zealanders money on their water, heating, cooking and driving. But we are also suckers for interesting electric machines and we reckon it shows that our electric future doesn’t need to be dull or require any sacrifice. It will be just as much fun as our fossil fuelled past.

We saw the world’s fastest motocross bike last week, and now there’s the world’s first electric snowbike. 

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No need for the electric rope tow now.