NZ is moving closer to electric car future

New Zealand has almost arrived at an electric-car future when charging stations will be dotted every 75 kilometres along our highways – yet only a tiny portion of Kiwi motorists have ditched the petrol pump.

There are now almost 7000 electric cars on the roads, according to not-for-profit organisation Drive Electric, out of about 4 million vehicles. .

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) appears to be taking small steps to change that as it looks to acquire 48 new electric cars in 2018, which could act as a pilot for a wider rollout and help other government agencies considering the same move.

It comes as NZTA and other groups work towards a goal of having a rapid-charging station every 75km along state highways. There are currently 97 rapidcharging stations nationwide and a further 30 are under construction – meaning 127 in total.

Ministry of Transport figures show there is 10,862km of state highway meaning 145 charging stations are needed to reach that goal. That means fewer than 20 more will be needed after those being built are up and running.

NZTA safety and environment director Harry Wilson said the agency was looking for software to manage a network of its own charging stations. These would be on top of existing charging stations.

‘‘The significant [charging station] coverage gaps are located in the South Island, on the West Coast and in Southland,’’ he said.

‘‘Charging infrastructure coverage has a domino effect. That is, once projects are completed, the next section of highway may become a viable proposition for public charging infrastructure providers to continue to install chargers.’’

Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter applauded the transport agency for leading by example in showing how electric vehicles could be for everyday use.

‘‘Electric vehicles are not only much better for the environment – they have lower ongoing running costs, so they’re a good investment for government departments,’’ she said. ‘‘Having government agencies lead by example is also helpful for businesses who may be a bit nervous about taking on new technologies like [electric vehicles]. It reduces the risk for business as they can learn from the experience of government vehicle fleet managers.’’

Drive Electric chairman Mark Gilbert hoped NZTA’S move would filter through other government departments.

Part of the agency’s pilot would be working out the true cost of electric cars as part of a fleet. While the upfront cost of the electric cars was more than traditional cars, they could travel at the equivalent cost of 30 cents a litre.

Gilbert warned there were pitfalls – mostly grid overload for which the solution was making sure chargers could be turned down remotely.

In 2016, the Government set a goal of having 64,000 electric vehicles on the roads by 2021.