Electric vehicle (EV) registrations already exceed the target of 16,000 for the year 2019
EV talk magazine reported recently that EV registrations already exceed the target of 16,000 for the year 2019. While it is obviously good news to reach this year's target 4 months early, the target of 32,000 EVs for 2020 will be much harder to achieve, since the EV adoption rate has now settled at a linear rate of about 500 to 600 vehicles per month, rather than doubling each year, which would be required to meet the last two targets set by the previous government and reach 64,000 EVs by the end of 2021.
Switching our vehicle fleet to electric is one of the few low-hanging fruit in our transition to a low-emissions economy, because it could remove about 17% of all our greenhouse gas emissions. While EVs don't make as much sense in many other countries, particularly those with a high percentage of electricity generated from fossil fuels, NZ is uniquely positioned to benefit big time from the switch. Our electricity generation from renewable sources has already reached 85%, and our average fossil fuel efficiency is dismal (9.5 litres/100km, compared to 4.9 litres/100km in the EU). Thus every EV in NZ that replaces a fossil-fuel car makes a much bigger positive contribution, compared to most other countries.
Of course, even an EV is still a car on the road and contributes to congestion, so we need not just cleaner, but also less cars overall. I for one hope that I've already purchased my last owned car ever, and I am looking forward to car sharing schemes, like the ones already established in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, where I can just summon a suitable car for a fair fare whenever I need one.
Happy Tuesday, neighbours, can you figure out today's riddle rush 🏃♂️
A bus driver goes the wrong way down a one-way street. He passes the cops, but they don’t stop him. Why?
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Poll: How do you feel about dogs being allowed indoors in cafes?
For most of us, seeing a friendly doggo while out and about instantly brings a smile to our faces. But how do you feel about cafes welcoming pups inside?
Cast a vote and share your thoughts below.
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27.8% I love it!
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31.5% Only in designated areas
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40.7% No, it should be outdoors only.
What should the rules be for alcohol in public?
We have some proposed amendments to the Alcohol Control Bylaw, and we want to know what you think:
🍷 Have your say on the Alcohol Control Bylaw
The bylaw allows us to ban alcohol completely from specific locations, during certain times of the day, or during certain times of the year. The bans need to reflect the times and places where alcohol causes problems, and can be enforced by police. Only public places are affected by these rules, not homes or licensed premises.
In the new proposal, the city centre alcohol ban would be expanded to include the carparks at Okara Shopping Centre, Cobham Oval and under Te Matau a Pohe bridge. An alcohol ban would also be introduced at Tarewa Park.
We also propose to lift the existing blanket coastal ban that applies to public places within 300m of the mean low tide mark, and narrow the alcohol bans at Oakura, Whananaki North, Whananaki South, Matapōuri/Whale Bay and Pataua North and South - changing the ban from 24 hours a day to just at night time (between 7:00pm and 7:00am).
We appreciate your input to choose appropriate new rules!
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