Detractors may point out that growth in new EV sales in August was not as rapid as it was in previous months. But EV sales still grew significantly in comparison to the same time last year.

The reason for this monthly dip could be down to a combination of some businesses reaching the end of their financial year at the end of June and delays of big EV shipments out of China due to storms.

Looking at EVDB numbers from 2023, when EV sales were at similar levels and the Clean Car Discount was in place, sales in July and August were also low before picking up again before the scheme stopped (1,223 new BEVs were sold in August 2023, and 1,096 were sold in August 2026).

Despite the growth in EV sales, they still make up a small share of overall sales. Approximately 9,000 new petrol or diesel light vehicles were brought into the country in August and each one of those will lock in a couple of decades of imported fuel costs and emissions.

The sticker price might be lower than the electric equivalent, but those owners are likely to face higher lifetime costs, as the comparison graph shows (EVs that rely exclusively on expensive public fast-chargers will pay more but they are in the minority and EV owners do most of their charging at home).

With fuel excise tax remaining lower for the foreseeable future, our policy settings are reinforcing this false economy.

To even the playing field, Fringe Benefit Tax should be removed (or significantly reduced) to give the incentive for businesses to run on New Zealand-made energy.

And for households, the EV Salary Boost, which lets employees lease a new or second-hand EV using pre-tax income, would provide more New Zealanders with access to the savings.

There is no end in sight to the war in the Middle East and fuel prices are set to remain high. More support is needed for New Zealanders to get off that imported energy hamster wheel and go electric.

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