The 'Electric Election': energy policies, side by side
🔥➡️⚡"There's no real debate; that's sort of past. The end game is to replace molecules with electrons. You want to replace petrol, diesel, gas, LPG with electrons, which we can produce domestically. But transition is a word people really get wrong a lot of the time. Transition is exactly that. It involves a period of time when you move on, ideally on a planned basis, from where you are to where you want to be."
In the latest Listener, consultant John Kidd summed it up well in an indepth feature about New Zealand's gas situation: 'Out of gas and ideas? With gas supplies drying up, govt bets on chance instead of transition help (paywalled)'.
We completely agree with his summary and we would love to see New Zealand transition into the world's most electric economy. Electrification is the biggest productivity opportunity we have and there are billions of dollars waiting to be saved by upgrading our fossil fuel machines. The Government could be pushing much harder to unlock that opportunity and the opposition parties should be thinking hard about what they can do in this space to gain support from voters ahead of next year's election.
As the story details, gas prices are up, supplies are down, and options to switch retailers are increasingly limited. Not all gas users have electric options, especially at the bigger end of town, but many do and the technology is advancing rapidly. But one thing we are unequivocal about is that our homes should definitely not be using up the gas we have left. It is expensive (and most expensive in bottled form), it is likely to get more expensive, it is inefficient, and, when burned inside, it's dangerous.
We looked closely how we use gas now and what we can replace it with in a recent explainer. Check it out here.
'Twas the night before Chris-mas, and all through the house, all the voters were stirring, the pundits showing their nous … the election will soon be over, but the energy crisis won't, so we'll be there to pester whoever is in power about the need to run more of the economy on New Zealand-made energy; can Ethiopia's aggressive push for EVs work and how does New Zealand compare in terms of adoption rates?; a two-way charging trial from Genesis shows promise in Auckland, but there's still a way to go before it's mainstream; small electric vehicles are often overlooked when it comes to electrifying transport, but it's hard to miss this weird French one; a solar-powered cafe (and some electric coffee); and we endorse the political vandalism of Keith of All Trades.
Read moreDownloadPoliticians are being urged to adopt stronger electric vehicle incentives ahead of the election. Climate and energy advocacy group Rewiring Aotearoa is arguing that EVs are one of the most effective long-term solutions for rising transport and energy costs. They're promoting an EV Salary Boost proposal, which would allow workers to access EVs through pre-tax salary arrangements – similarly to already existing schemes in the UK and Australia. Policy and Government Relations Spokesperson Ngaio Neumegen told Kerre Woodham that even with the rising cost of power, it's still cheaper to run an EV than a car running on imported fuel.
A proposal that would let New Zealanders lease an electric car using their before-tax pay has not won a commitment from either National or Labour, with the 7 November election days away. Under the EV Salary Boost, put forward by Rewiring Aotearoa and Drive Electric, an employee would lease a new or used EV for three to five years. The payments would come out of their pay before tax, lowering the cost of running the car. The idea is based on Australia’s novated leasing system, though the groups say they are not proposing a direct copy.
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