ELECTRIC CARS BMW x3-xdrive
ELECTRIC CARS IN NEW ZEALAND Most vehicle manufacturers now produce electric cars. Ponsonby News investigated a number of models including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Landrover, Mercedes and Nissan. A report by NZ Electric Car Guide writer, Sigurd Magnusson, said that: “Electric cars have no clutch or gears, and accelerate more quickly and smoothly, in a ‘sporty’ way, and they climb hills easier than petrol cars. A fully electric motor has fewer moving parts, no spark plugs or engine oil, and requires less maintenance than a petrol equivalent. Such cars are extremely quiet and reduce noise pollution.” So why are sales of electric cars taking so long to take off in New Zealand? In Norway, for example, electric cars outsell fuel-driven cars, and Norway expects to end fuel car sales in 2025. Norway also has the most incentives. Norway charges a ‘pollution tax’ on fuel vehicles based on emissions and weight, and allows a discount on electrics, something our government tried to implement, but the New Zealand First party killed.
The reasons New Zealand has not embraced electric cars are complex, but price is a big factor. The most economical electric cars in New Zealand are the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Ioniq. However, they are $60,000 and $66,000 respectively, to purchase new. Another problem, according to one dealer, is the danger to New Zealanders of cheap imported, one star safety-rated used electric vehicles, mainly from Japan. “They should be banned,” he told Ponsonby News. Batteries are still problematic too. They use scarce resources, and are expensive. They may have a ten year guarantee, but replacing part or all of a battery is expensive. But batteries, which weigh several hundred kilograms, sit in the floor of the car, giving cars a lower centre of gravity which adds stability when cornering or accelerating.
Seven Sharp presenter, Hillary Barry, General Manager of Jaguar Landrover Steve Kenchington, Richard Edwards of NZ Motoring Writer’s Guild and Seven Sharp presenter Jeremy Wells
52 PONSONBY NEWS+ August 2020
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