In 2019, making environmentally friendly transport choices is easier than ever before.
With so much choice, knowing what suits your specific needs best will define how you decide to reduce your carbon footprint when it comes to transport.
Many countries have already announced bans on the sale of new combustion - only petrol and diesel vehicles. In Norway, a ban was announced in 2016 and will take effect in 2025. Britain announced their ban in 2017 and it will take effect from 2040. Volvo has already committed to sell only hybrid or fully electric vehicles by 2020 and Toyota has committed to making its entire fleet electric, hybrid or hydrogen powered by 2025. In New Zealand, we have some of the cleanest power in the world making electric vehicles a legitmate zero carbon choice.
We have talked with some of the leading car brands, electric bike specialists and Auckland Transport so we can compare a range of options against the different needs Ponsonby News readers might have.
For some, an electric bike or a Lime scooter may be the best option for low emission travel in and around the Ponsonby but if you’re a larger family travelling further afield or you need to tow a heavy boat, what are your options if you want to reduce your carbon emissions and can an electric vehicle get you there?
In terms of power, the simple answer is yes. With the increased amount of charging stations available around the country, the improved capacity of EV batteries, and special home energy packages, offered by companies like Ecotricity, running out of energy on the morning commute is not likely.
Ecotricity is one of the country’s newest and most progressive energy companies. Director, Al Yates believes EV’s are now an easy choice for more people both financially and environmentally. “You can save up to 80% on the normal vehicle running costs with an EV,” explains Al. “And EV’s are 7-10 times more carbon efficient than petrol or diesel vehicles,” he says. Ecotricity doesn’t just supply power, it supplies 100% zero carbon power meaning that EV’s using Ecotricity power are 100% carbon zero.
So which electric or hybrid car to chose?
If a small car suits your needs, Toyota and Nissan have offered New Zealand driver’s low emission choices for many years. The Toyota Prius has held the title of New Zealand’s most popular hybrid car and Nissan’s Leaf is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle.
Toyota offers advanced technology and performance
Toyota’s Prius Prime is packed with safety and performance features and offers a low Co2 combined emission rate of just 22 g/km for $48,490. It can fit five people and like Toyota’s 2018 AA/Drive Safest Car of the Year, the Corolla Hatch it has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. The advanced connectivity and technology features in this car are geek worthy. However, if you have more than three children these cars will be too small and if you need a to tow
a horse float or boat you will need something with more impressive tow power.
Currently Toyota’s most popular option for big families that need towing power is the Toyota Landcruiser Prado, which starts at $70,990. It comfortably fits seven people and can easily tow a double horse float over rugged terrain but with a Co2 emission rate of 212pkm it doesn’t have the smallest carbon footprint. In the near future there will be a low or no-emission version of the Prado. In fact Toyota’s entire fleet will be hybrid, electric or hydrogen powered by 2025.
Volvo leads the way
Volvo’s commitment to not selling new combustion-only engines beyond 2020 is evident in a product line up full of PHEV’s that can fit up to seven people and tow a large boat or horse float. While almost double the price of the Toyota Prado Landcruiser, the Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV offered at $140,900 has the highest safety rating of any SUV with Co2 emissions of just 49 g/km. The hybrid electric design system offers the best of both worlds with a high performance 2.1L diesel engine for 2400kg braked tow rating and a 40km electric range for city driving.
Volvo will be releasing more hybrid and fully electric vehicles to its range over the next few years increasing the choices available to environmentally conscious motorists. Next year Ponsonby News readers can look forward to the new XC40 hybrid, which offers a more affordable, sporty, small SUV option full of beautiful design features.
BMW sporty and stylishly zero emission
Small and sporty also describes the fully electric BMW i3, which can fit two adults and two children in isofix car seats in the back. It’s a compact ride that is full of stylish features and zero emissions. At $63,900 it is a premium value small EV.
SmartMotion for a clever zero carbon choice
Going even smaller, there are a number of high-quality electric bikes designed especially for commuters. The SmartMotion X-City is New Zealand’s biggest - selling electric bike. For as little as $29 per week you can be reducing your carbon footprint, avoiding traffic congestion and getting to and from work or school with ease. James Speedy, director of Electric Bikes, explains the cotinuous growth of electric bikes. “The quality of the bikes and improvement to cycleways are making the choice for electric bikes even easier for those living in the city fringe suburbs, working or going school within 20-30 minutes of their homes," says James.
Auckland Transport electric rides
The accessibility and affordability for environmentally friendly transport options are getting better each year. Last year, Auckland Transport began trials for two electric buses on the city’s link service with great success and has now added an electric bus on the Airporter 380 service. Viv Heslop, Auckland Transports head of sustainability says, “The success of these trials has seen the Board of Auckland Transport endorse the Low Emission Bus Roadmap which includes an aspiration to only procure low emission buses from 2025 and to have a fully low emission fleet by 2040.”
With the introduction of Lime scooters in and around Ponsonby, Auckland Transport is enabling more low-carbon modes of transport to flourish within the inner city suburbs.
"In suburbs such as Ponsonby, we are meeting the huge increase in demand from people wanting to get out of their cars and move cleanly and efficiently around the city,” says Lime’s public affairs manager Lauren Mentjox.
Lime has some impressive stats in terms of the contribution to lowering car emmissions. In Auckland, 56% of Lime riders reported taking Lime electric scooters to work or university on their most recent trip and 22% of riders said they had replaced a car trip with a Lime scooter. This equates to 20,000 fewer vehicle trips on our city's roads in just two months.
The options for environmentally friendly transport are ever evolving. Visit our website for more information on environmentally friendly transport options including new cars, bikes, transport routes and energy suppliers. We would love to hear your tips and success stories for reducing your carbon footprint, visit our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. (ANDREA KAHUKIWA)