The Government recently launched a consultation document proposing two key policies aimed at making the New Zealand light vehicle car fleet less polluting.
Just about all of our favourite car brands now have a low emission, hybrid, plug in hybrid or fully electric option in their fleet. The range and versatility of low emission models is increasing all the time and as demand grows locally so will the range of options available. We talked to a few of the leading car brands to understand things from their perspective. Do they like what the Government is proposing? Will it make a difference? Do they have a low emission vehicle that Ponsonby News readers should get excited about?
Looking around the streets of Ponsonby and many of the city fringe suburbs, it is easy to see that Audi is a popular brand choice for locals. Audi’s commitment to low and no emissions is significant and goes beyond releasing game changing, high performance electric vehicles. Audi is the first manufacturer with a certified carbon zero production facility for its electric vehicles. This is an even bigger deal than it sounds because research from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that manufacturing an EV can create 15 - 68% more emissions than manufacturing a traditional combustion engine vehicle. Of course, over its lifetime, the EV would more than make up for this.
Brett Barclay and the team from Audi Giltrap in Grey Lynn have been patiently and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Audi e-tron, a vehicle described by Audi as ‘concept clarity’ and reviewed by Top Gear as the safest stepping stone to EV driving to date. “When it turned up we were all blown away. Hand on heart, it has exceeded our expectations. The e-tron quattro itself, apart from its amazing looks and tech, is a very useable and practical car that will tick a lot of boxes on a day to day basis,” says Brett. The e-tron has Audi’s beauty and style, is a comfortable ride, and best bit according to Brett: “The drive is something else.”
Like many in the motor industry, Brett welcomes the Government’s proposed low emission vehicle initiatives. He believes that at the very least it’s starting a conversation about low emission vehicle choices that will help some people make the transition from traditional combustion engines to electric or hybrid plug-in electric vehicles.
The consultation document released by the Ministry of Transport points out that New Zealand is one of only three developed countries with no regulations, or meaningful incentives, to influence the fuel efficiency of light vehicles entering the country. This is perhaps why vehicles supplied into New Zealand are among the most fuel inefficient and polluting in the OECD.
Alastair Davis, CEO of Toyota New Zealand, supports the need for New Zealand to improve the fuel efficiency of its vehicle fleet. “With transport emissions accounting for nearly 20% of all carbon output, we have a large influence on how New Zealand will progress to a zero-carbon economy. The proposals call for new standards and a ‘fee and rebate scheme’ in 2021. With the growing impact of climate change, we welcome the earliest possible introduction of the scheme,” Mr Davis said.
So far in 2019, Toyota New Zealand has already sold more hybrid Rav 4s than it did in the entire 2018 year. With an ever-increasing fleet of fuel efficient models, New Zealand’s highest-selling car brand could have a significant effect on the make up of New Zealand’s future car fleet. Lucky for us the Toyota brand is accelerating its development of low or zero CO2 emission vehicles to support its commitment to reducing the automotive emissions. “We are working across all powertrain technologies and alternative fuel options to advance the technology availability to New Zealand consumers over the coming years,” stated Mr Davis in the official Toyota media release.
The Government is proposing two policies it believes will turn around our inefficient and carbon polluting car fleet. The first is the Clean Car Standard which sets a fuel efficiency standard for light vehicles. The second is the Clean Car Discount which effectively gives new-car buyers a discount if they buy a fuel efficient light vehicle. The more fuel efficient the vehicle is, the higher the discount will be up to a maximum of $8000. The discount scheme will be funded through fees placed on the sale of cars that are not fuel efficient.
The proposed Clean Car Standard would have an emissions target that vehicle suppliers would have to meet, as an average, across their vehicle fleet. The emission targets are to be worked out based on the weight of the vehicle. This allows for heavier SUVs and light commercial vehicles to have higher CO2 emission targets and lighter vehicles to have lower targets but the average across an imported fleet would need to be 105g of C02 per km by 2025. The Government would then plan to set stricter targets after 2025 to continue the transition to a low emissions vehicle fleet.
Overall, leading car brands in New Zealand welcome initiatives to encourage people to buy lower emission vehicles; the only common concern seems to be how the lower emission targets will impact on businesses who rely on heavier, less fuel efficient vehicles. “Naturally, as the national distributor of New Zealand’s highest selling PHEV SUV (the Mitsubishi Outlander), we welcome the Government’s moves to discount PHEV technology. We do, however, have concerns around some of the timelines outlined in the discussion paper, as well as the impact that the proposed penalties may have on Kiwi businesses that count on the use of LCVs to keep their businesses moving,” says Reece Congdon, head of marketing and corporate affairs for Mitsubishi.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is the highest-selling, plug-in hybrid electric SUV in the country. In fact, it is the highest selling PHEV SUV in all of Europe. One of the reasons for its popularity is the versatility it offers people and combined with the Government’s proposed initiatives the Outlander fits our local lifestyle. “Vehicles like the Outlander give owners the efficiency of an EV while still offering the utility that the lifestyle of many Kiwis demands,” suggests Reece Congdon who sees the proposed initiatives as another reason for Kiwis to buy an Outlander PHEV.
The momentum for fuel efficient cars and the transition to electric vehicles continues to increase. Car reviewers, new car importers and motor industry associations are all on the whole supportive of the Government’s suggested policy initiatives and, even more telling, people selling cars are excited about the performance and technology new electric models offer.
Around Ponsonby the choices for hybrid, plug in hybrid and fully electric models is wide ranging. From our local Tesla branch is a range of luxury electric cars. Lexus Grey Lynn offers a range of smooth driving hybrids. Toyota has an increasing range of low emission hybrid vehicles, Giltrap Audi has the all new e-tron, and Giltrap Volkswagen has the e-Golf – a fast, fun car that got an 8/10 rating from Top Gear. Ponsonby News readers can keep their carbon footprint low and check out a range of low emission options for their next car purchase.
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