Fuel and Heavy Vehicle sector More to EVs than meets eye

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with ABB Product Marketing Manager – eMobility Debbie van der Schyyff regarding the outlook on electric vehicle infrastructure in New Zealand.

Mat.alderdice@mta.org.nz

ROY HOVERD will be based at the Auckland campus as part of the Mediation team.

For his entire working career Roy has been involved in the automotive repair industry with experience in a number of roles from Foreman to Customer Services Supervisor and Service Manager.

He has been self employed as a repairer and breakdown and towing contractor and was an approved vehicle inspector and “A” Grade Automotive Engineer.

PRABHA RAMAN will be based in Wellington as part of the HR team.

Prabha takes on the role of Senior Human Resources Advisor following two decades of work experience in various aspects of HR.

She has expertise in employee relations, HR management and learning and development and has worked with several organisations across the globe learning from rich cultural experiences.

Prabha has a graduate degree in chemistry and two post graduate qualifications in human resources management and general management specialising in finance.

She is also a classical dancer and performs ‘Kathak’, an Indian classical dance form that incorporates storytelling through dance.

Prabha speaks five languages which includes four Indian languages other than English and her goal is to learn a foreign language this year.

AAB is a global leader in EV charging technology with sales of more than 600,000 electric vehicle chargers across more than 88 markets.

At the heart of our conversation was the position of electric vehicles (EVs) and the supporting infrastructure for them in New Zealand.

Debbie says there’s a lot more to the EV space than just the EVs and infrastructure, and the devil is in the detail. Governments need to know where the power is sourced from, what type of EV charger is really fit for purpose and on the consumer side of things businesses need to understanding their fleet behaviour and optimise that fleet to what it is been used for, she says.

Another part of the equation Debbie pointed out is private use vehicles and understanding their use and the variety of modalities now available to consumers ie, Mevo, subsidised public transport, e-scooters, and cycle ways are all considerations when we look at 2023 and the changing face of transportation and the impact on the climate. Adding to the mix is the Government’s low emission fund for public charging infrastructure network rollout, which has been a big driver for the success in EV uptake in New Zealand compared with countries of a similar size.

Comparing New Zealand with other OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries Debbie tells me we are still viewed as an early adopter but not up there with Norway yet; they have a whopping 86 percent of their light vehicle fleet as EV sales, and they are a country with a similar sized population to us. Even though we are doing well on the scale of things, Debbie points out there are a few barriers to overcome.

The upfront cost of EVs is still a deterrent for families but there is continued optimism that prices will come down with more efficient production plants, and she is also quick to point out the misconception regarding the use of coal-powered electricity for the network when renewable power generation in New Zealand makes up 80 percent of supply and comments regarding the massive increase in power infrastructure required.