Advocates urge parties to lay out EV electrification plans

Transport advocates have called on political parties to set out full plans to shift New Zealand's vehicle fleet and freight system from imported fuel to electricity.

Drive Electric chair Kirsten Corson and Sustainable Business Council chief executive Mike Burrell made the call during the election campaign, saying parties should present comprehensive transport electrification policies. RNZ

Corson said the country's bill for imported fuels had risen from about $10 billion to more than $12 billion this year. She attributed the rise to higher prices linked to the Strait of Hormuz, not to higher import volumes.

She said 93 percent of goods bought at the supermarket travel by truck, with the majority powered by diesel. About 85 to 90 percent of New Zealand's electricity generation was renewable, compared with about 45 percent of total energy supply once transport and industrial processes were included.

EV sales reached 12 percent of all new vehicles sold earlier in the year when fuel prices first rose. Monthly new registrations later settled at around 8 percent.

That monthly rate was about half the rate in Australia, where incentives and loans existed in many states.

Corson and Burrell proposed three measures to lift uptake. They called for removing road user charges and fringe benefit tax from EVs. They proposed mandating EVs for the government's 15,000-vehicle fleet wherever possible. They proposed speeding up approvals and connection processes for public EV chargers.

Political parties said they did have electric vehicle policies. Some said they had chosen to promote other aspects of their transport plans during the election period.

Transport has featured in campaign announcements. The Green Party has pledged to make public transport free for eligible groups and to cap bus and train fares at $2 for everyone else. RNZ Its 2026 transport policy includes free travel for children, $2 fares for adults and light rail for key cities. NZ Herald