Up the Kilowahs! Checkout the EDB Scoreboard
"Driving around New Zealand on locally-made electrons should be cheaper than driving around New Zealand on foreign-sourced molecules." And with proposed changes to the Road User Charges system, which Mike Casey discussed with RNZ's Eloise Gibson, it will be.
We've been asked a lot of questions about changing to a system based on distance rather than paying fuel excise at the pump and our number crunching has shown that over three million petrol cars (including hybrids) will now pay more, while just a few big petrol cars will pay less. Electric vehicles were already paying RUCs, so this levels the playing field and make EVs the cheapest option - and much cheaper over their lifetime. In our policy manifesto we ranked this change as a 4/10 in terms of impact.
It’s important to remember that no fossil fuel car is efficient when you compare it to an electric one and this change creates a stronger economic signal to choose electrons over molecules when the time comes. We can't 'hybrid' our way to a zero emissions vehicle fleet, just as we can't 'efficiency' our way to a zero-emissions economy.
People should pay for the impact they have, so a large, heavy 4x4 should pay more for its impact on roads than a small hatchback, as should large trucks pay more than cars.
There are also plenty of external impacts on society from the emissions and other effects of vehicles that should be economically accounted for, too. And there is still time to design that in to this system.
Read our full statement here.
How the sun led to higher salaries for teachers in the US and why this should be happening here, too; how "the once-rigid link between economic growth and carbon emissions is breaking across the vast majority of the world" as electrification gives more countries a productivity boost (and how that would allow New Zealand to keep embracing our long, languid summer break); solar continues to weather storms and provide 'free resilience'; Dunedin laundry company Preens goes electric and saves over 300 utes worth of emissions; the company that wants you to drink diesel exhaust; and a wonderful rundown of the Kill Bills tour - and the national electrification opportunity - from one of the tour sponsors.
Read moreDownloadAs gas supplies decline and prices rise, electrification is the best bet, but it's hard for big businesses without government support. Kirsty Johnston talks to Rainbow Nurseries about how it made the switch with help from a grant, and others who are unsure they will be able to keep getting gas. As one busines owner said: "We never considered the risk to the business of not actually having natural gas," one participant said. "We always expect that the price could fluctuate… But we never anticipated maybe having no gas coming from the pipeline." There are ways for the Government to help. And there is a huge amount of new renewable electricity coming on stream, so there won't be a shortage of electrons.
Read moreDownloadMarc Daalder reports on Vector's declining gas network and how it is responding to falling customer numbers. As he writes: "Gas in Auckland is formally past its peak in the latest forecasts from Vector, the city’s only gas distribution business, with new connections set to fall to zero in three years ... From 2029, there would be no new residential or commercial connections – with new industrial connections projected to have already ceased this year."
Read moreDownload