Drive Electric chairman Mark Gilbert is passionate about electric vehicles (EVs). He leads this not-for-profit group, which advocates for the uptake and mainstreaming of EVs.
Drive Electric has many functions, from lobbying the Government to continue setting ambitious targets for electric vehicle uptake, to helping educate the public and companies about the benefits of EVs.
In his personal life, Gilbert and his wife zip around Ponsonby and central Auckland in a BMW i3.
“Driving an EV has many benefits,” Gilbert says. “They are quick off the mark, quiet and produce little or no emissions.”
New Zealand is the perfect place to introduce electric vehicles, Gilbert says. “We have over 80% renewable energy in New Zealand. There’s a lot of potential in that.
“The flow-on effects from EVs are cleaner air, less pollution helping New Zealand achieve its obligations under the COP21 agreement.”
The Government’s aim is to get 64,000 EVs on New Zealand roads by 2021. Gilbert also has other interests in the electric vehicle sector, including leading the board of Chargemaster Ltd, a company distributing products for home and office charging.
To find out more about Drive Electric, visit www.driveelectric.org.nz