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Battery health 

Electric Avenue is generally intended to be an inspiring rundown of all the cool stuff happening in the electric world, and there’s plenty of it, but just in case you’ve got a spare 90 seconds, we would love for you to add your voice to this submission, because we reckon it could stop some of that cool stuff from happening in New Zealand. 

The issue is that the Electricity Authority is set to impose limits on the kinds of customers who can get peak export rates. And we think those limits are far too low. 

Check out our guide and make a quick submission here. They're due at 5pm today.

This rule mostly impacts customers with batteries and they are a crucial part of the puzzle when it comes to making the most of cheap renewables when we need them (peak times). The technology continues to improve and every day there’s a new story about a potential game changing innovation, but which ones should we pay attention to? Wired has tried to answer all the big battery questions, from solid state to sodium-ion to wireless charging, and it's well worth a read.

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Which technologies are here? Which will be, probably, but aren’t yet, so don’t hold your breath? What’s probably not coming anytime soon?

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The revolution will be electrified

Incumbent industries and businesses have often struggled with what’s known as the innovator’s dilemma, where they try too hard to protect what they have and miss out on what’s coming. Nokia is a good example of a business that was smacked right in the face by this phenomenon. And we’re seeing some of that now in the automotive sector, as the fossil fuel industry tries to keep everyone buying their juice and laggards like Toyota doing what they can to slow things down. 

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Many would argue that New Zealand is going backwards with its policy decisions - like the recent loosening of the clean car standard - but we reckon it’s still an inevitable technological transition. 

The phrase ‘last lash of the tail’ has been used to describe the resistance the fossil fuel industry is showing and this Guardian story on Saudi Arabia’s approach to climate negotiations and its profits of $170,000 per minute shows why they are thrashing so hard). But, as Ember wrote after the release of the IEA’s World Energy Outlook, we need to ignore the fossil noise, because the electrotech revolution is happening. 

There will undoubtedly be some who continue to drive petrol cars for fun, just as there are people who have horses for riding or those who take coal-fired tractors to events. But, as we’re seeing around the world - often in developing nations that don’t even have climate policies - this transition is happening quickly and it’s largely happening because the economics stack up. 

As energy analyst Nat Bullard said on a recent podcast: “No one buying solar panels in Zambia or Malawi, or selling them from China, is waiting for permission from Washington. People around the world don’t care about our fossil fuel debates. They’re doing what works.”

A good base

We’ll celebrate anything that helps lower energy bills, and New Zealand smart panel manufacturer Basis has announced a new partnership with Octopus Energy. 

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As co-founder Danny Purcell wrote: 

In the coming months Smart Panel customers will be able to use Octopus Energy's advanced time-of-use retail tariffs to slash their bills. Real-time circuit level monitoring and control (EVs, hot water, AC++) capabilities of the Smart Panel allow customers to shift load off-peak and respond to ‘saving sessions’ opportunities.

Octopus will combine Basis Smart Panels and the Kraken platform to enable smart products and find new ways of helping customers manage their energy usage & lower their costs.

Since founding Basis I’ve had a long-held belief that real-time visibility into a building’s energy use coupled with control of appliances & the management of energy systems (Solar, Battery, V2G) is an untapped opportunity for consumers to lower their electricity costs and Octopus marks the first step in external validation of that belief. Octopus & Kraken serve 70m+ customers globally - The race is now on to make this technology available for the rest of the world!

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The technology we need to reduce bills is here now. We just need to roll it out and roll it out quickly. The BBC visited a few Zero Bills homes recently in the UK and so did the Everything Electric show and this is what we should be aiming for. 

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Wheels of fortune

The electric revolution will be fun, not funereal. And it’s definitely not about giving something up, it’s about upgrading. Well, the Antic electric bike has got fun written all over it. 

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Tongue twister

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Electricity is not just about lowering energy bills and emissions. Researchers at Kirin have developed a product that uses electricity to create a sensation of saltiness or umami, without the need for extra sodium. 

The "Electric Salt" series is a line of tableware-type devices developed under the concept of "a life with delicious food for all people.” These products aim to address social issues of excessive salt intake while meeting customer needs for flavorful, low-sodium meals. In response to feedback from individuals reducing their salt intake, such as “I want to enjoy ramen and other rich-flavored dishes as a special treat” and “I want to keep enjoying the soups I’ve always loved,” we designed tableware that’s easy to use at home and suited to everyday menu items.

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An electric salt spoon was released in 2024 (now discontinued) and an electric salt cup followed. 

“We will continue to expand the “Electric Salt” product lineup, while also advancing the development of electric taste technologies that go beyond enhancing saltiness and umami. The goal is to help people enjoy a wider variety of meals and address broader dietary challenges, not just salt reduction.” 

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If you can’t afford this amazing tech, might we suggest just sticking your tongue on a 9v battery after you have a bite.

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