On the brink of an electric vehicle revolution – kinda

Not a lot of people know this, but electric vehicles aren’t a new, cool technology. The first electric car was produced in the 19th century, by the same guy behind electrification of the London underground.

Fairly quickly, electric technology was superceded by the combustion engine we know and love. Now, say the afficionados, the time of the electric vehicle is nigh.

Drive Electric, the not for profit industry body for electric vehicles (EV) in New Zealand is focussed on helping New Zealand realise the environmental and energy benefits from switching to electric vehicles. The organisation believes the key is encouraging businesses to change their fleets – 70% of vehicles in New Zealand are fleet vehicles, so converting them can have a big impact.

“We know the barriers to the uptake of EV vehicles, but these are falling away,” says Drive Electric acting GM Joanna Silver.

“For a start, demand for these vehicles is driving competition, resulting in the price reducing and the choice of vehicles increasing.

“Second, the technology has improved immensely in the last few years. Extended battery life now gives pure EVs a reach of 120km between charges, perfect for urban fleet vehicles, and more public fast- charging points are being rolled out nationally. Finally, there is a deeper awareness of the whole- of-life cost.”

Still, electric vehicles are far from being mainstream. Drive Electric’s own figures suggest there are just under 700 electric vehicles registered in New Zealand, in a total fleet of around four million. There are 74 charging locations and seven different EV models available, as against hundreds of petrol stations and models of petrol/diesel vehicles.

Electric vehicles are also more expensive than their carbon-fuelled equivalents, although enthusiasts argue EVs create tangible whole-of-life cost savings through reduced refuelling costs, and significantly lower maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts.

For example, they argue charging an electric vehicle in New Zealand costs about the same as buying petrol at 26c a litre (as compared to more than $2 per litre of petrol for carbon-fuelled vehicles), so the initial capital outlay can be quickly recuperated through running costs alone.

The health and safety aspects also need to be considered, Silver says. She reckons a quieter and smoother driver experience could have a positive impact on the workforce and the wider public.

“New Zealand spends $930m a year combating the negative health effects of car emissions,” says Silver. “That’s according to the Government- commissioned Health and Air Pollution in New Zealand Study 2012.”

Reducing emissions will reduce these unnecessary social and economic costs shouldered by the public, she says. Then there’s energy security. “We currently spend over $5 billion a year importing fuel for our transport fleet,” Silver says. “By switching to EVs we can fuel our vehicles using New Zealand’s natural resources, reduce our fuel import bill, and move towards energy independence.”