Manufacturers of the future
Meet some of the new brands that might become household names in the EV age
Sustainability is at the forefront as carmakers move towards reducing their carbon footprints.
Investment in electric vehicles (EVS) is one of the primary ways they are doing it.
The Government recently proposed a Clean Car Standard, which, if approved, will take effect next year. The bill will require car importers to meet increasingly lower emissions targets, falling to 105g of Co2/km average by 2025.
Currently, New Zealand is way behind other countries – we have an average of 171g/km.
Dr Rod Carr, chairman of the Climate Change Commission, is pushing for EVS to account for more than half of all vehicle imports by 2028, as well as a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035.
On the other hand, Neeraj Lala, chief executive of Toyota NZ, argues that importers may struggle to get a good amount of EVS and hybrids should the Clean Car Standard become legislation.
No matter which side of the fence you’re on, there’s no doubt EVS are increasing in popularity.
An impressive 511 Tesla Model 3 vehicles were sold in 2020 alone.
Tesla was founded less than 20 years ago and is “one of the new kids on the block”. Since then, manufacturers including Porsche, Mercedes-benz and BMW have launched EVS.
We look into some of the other EV manufacturers who could become household names. Fisker
Fisker is an American company named after its founder, Hendrik Fisker, and has been around for 14 years. Previous investors include actor Leonardo Dicaprio.
The company has released a performance EV – the Karma – but intends to sell an intriguing crossover SUV at around US$40,000. The model will be called Ocean and would suit markets in the US, UK and NZ.
Rivian
Rivian is an American carmaker that plans to launch an all-electric ute and SUV in North America in 2021. The Launch Edition of the ute, the R1T, has a range of over 482km and a battery pack option giving 643km. The entry Explorer model starts at US$67,500.
The company has promised 600 charging stations by the end of 2023 by rolling out a North American charging network called the Adventure Network.
Byton
Byton is a Chinese manufacturer that plans to make a medium SUV called the M-byte. An expansive, futuristic 48-inch screen is the showpiece, along with rotating seats to let the driver and passenger experience the large display; many of us don’t have a screen this big in our lounges.
There are 200kw rear-drive and 300kw AWD options, with overall range ranging from 430-550km. It can fast charge from 0-80 per cent in 35 minutes.
Lordstown
Lordstown Motors is developing a US$52,500 ute called the Endurance and is looking to target fleet customers.
The cars are being assembled in Lordstown, Ohio, using equipment once used to make the Holden/chevrolet Cruze.
This model received some bad press in January after a prototype caught fire 10 minutes after the initial test drive.
BYD
BYD (Build Your Dreams) is a Chinese manufacturer, and we’ve spotted a few of its cars on our roads already. The BYD Han’s long-range model has a singlecharge range of 605km and starts at about US$32,800.
The 4WD high-performance version goes from 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, making it China’s fastest production EV.
The BYD Han is estimated to cost $49,995 in NZ and will be available for online sale in October from BYD Australia.
How the AA is helping
The AA submitted on the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice on lowering transport emissions. We think there needs to be much more investment in biofuels to help bridge the gap before EVS are widely available.
The AA is also committed to showing the action we are taking to live and work in more climatefriendly ways. This includes practical tips, tools and ideas for how our members might do more with less.
AA Smartfuel has partnered with carbon offsetting company Carbon Click to make it simple for its 2.8 million customers to take measurable action on their carbon footprint.
For more info about the AA’S sustainability journey, visit aa.co. nz/sustainability
www.thepuzzlecompany.co.nz
7/5