DOC hybrid EV plugged into diesel generator
The Department of Conservation (DOC) has been charging one of its electric vehicles with power from a diesel generator, undercutting the car’s goal of providing low or no emissions power.
The vehicle is a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid EV.
It’s located on Rakiura-Stewart Island, where it’s been since October 2020, and is charged with electricity from the Stewart Island Electrical Supply Authority (SIESA), which provides the island’s electricity.
The problem for DOC is that SIESA’s power comes from five diesel generators, meaning the plug-in is effectively getting electricity from a diesel generator. The car also runs on petrol.
National’s climate change spokesperson Stuart Smith discovered the electrical irony in written questions to Conservation minister Kiritapu Allan, whose conservation responsibilities currently sit with Ayesha Verrall.
‘‘It shows that some of these things are more about signalling your virtue than making a difference,’’ Smith said.
He said the Government was ‘‘rushing’’ out EVs to different Government departments without waiting to see whether they would make a difference.
‘‘The reality is a diesel vehicle would have less emissions than charging the electricity from a diesel generator,’’ Smith said.
DOC’s Rakiura operations manager Ren Leppin said the operations team was investigating options for solar power for the office and workshop on the island. He said this would ‘‘remove reliance on diesel generation and reduce our carbon footprint,’’ however they didn’t know when the solar system would be installed.
But Smith isn’t so sure about this idea, saying he doesn’t think Rakiura’s climate is amenable to solar infrastructure.
The Government has faced persistent difficulty converting its vehicle fleet to electric. Last term, the Government quietly abandoned a target to make the Crown fleet emissions-free by mid-2025.
Transport Minister Michael Wood is set to announce policies this week on further decarbonising the transport sector.