WITH CAMERON OFFICER MOTORING NBR Motoring Editor
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NBR WINTER 2018 WITH CAMERON OFFICER MOTORING NBR motoring editor NEWS INTERVIEWS NEW VEHICLE FLEET LEASING REVIEWS NBR MOTORING WINTER 2018 The Takata airbag recall CAMERON OFFICER ‘How to’ guide launched has dominated the first NBR motoring editor quarter of this year for firms adding electric If you had asked me five years ago which car company would provide the ride for my first vehicles to fleets full electric vehicle media launch, I’m not sure how I’d have answered. Toyota perhaps. Or Nissan maybe. But Jaguar? No, not a Not-for-profit EV advocacy group, Drive Electric is provid- chance. ing first-hand advice on how to introduce electric vehicles into company fleets. Yet, I have just attended the international The group has issued a white paper titled Building an 03 02 media launch for Jaguar’s I-Pace electric electric fleet: a ‘how-to’ guide for businesses considering SUV. I’d even add ‘performance’ into that transitioning to electric vehicles. wordy descriptive, such was Jaguar Land Meridian Energy’s procurement manager Nick Robil- liard is one of the key contributors to the research after Rover’s eagerness that attendees really eke successfully switching over half of his company’s passen- out as much pace as possible from the car, ger fleet to EVs. with multiple laps in anger around Portimáo Meridian, which has sponsored the white paper, owns Nick Robilliard Circuit, inland from Faro on the southern a mix of second-generation near-new Nissan Leafs and coast of Portugal. It also had media scaling late-model all-electric Hyundai IONIQs, along with new steep forestry tracks and traversing gravel generation 2018 Nissan Leafs. roads in its new electric car. Mr Robilliard says one of the keys to success in adopt- ing more EVs in a commercial fleet is to consider a mix of The I-Pace has to be bulletproof. Not because both used and new EV options. its desired owners are likely to take it to a “I asked, ‘Why do we buy new vehicles?’ For a lot of the New cars selling steadily but a track day or up a mountain (well, not often around-town functions, where people aren’t doing huge anyway) but more because the company has kilometres, why would I get a new vehicle? I actually spent a lot to prove. less electrifying the fleet,” he says. turbulent start to 2018 for industry This isn’t anything new per se. There are Retaining value other manufacturers with electric vehicles Andrew Caseley Although new Hyundai IONIQs cost more than their The headlines remain much the same vehicles had had the inflator replaced, on the market already. The aforementioned non-electric equivalents, the money he saved on the do these sites go live?’, because that was critical to making as last year, with record months being there remain another 45,622 to be Nissan has been making the Leaf so long it’s second-hand Leafs made great financial sense. this work for us. Now there are eight 50kW DC chargers experienced for new car registrations in completed. the New Zealand market. “Contrary to common into its second generation. Jaguar isn’t even EVs also stack up in maintenance, servicing and resale on that route.” But the continued record-breaking misunderstanding, under New Zealand the first premium carmaker to build an EV; value, Mr Robilliard says. However, that won’t be as much of a consideration sales also mask a rocky start to the year legislation distributors of new vehicles are BMW has also recently unveiled the next “By converting to electric, we’ve managed to save when the early generation Leafs are replaced with the lat- for the wider industry, with first the ‘stink not obliged to undertake recalls of used update to its i3 city car. between $5000 and $6000 per year on operating and est 40kW model, which boasts a range of around 250km, bug’ infestation holding up deliveries imported vehicles,” Mr Crawford says. maintenance costs for each vehicle. Mr Robilliard says. in the first quarter and the continuing “New Zealand consumer legislation The difference with the Jaguar I-Pace is “After 14 months, the IONIQs have retained 87% of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) Takata airbag recall and remediation work places consumer obligations, including that it’s the first EV to be built as a direct original purchase price. This compares favourably against chief executive Andrew Caseley says fleet buyers are play- threatening the bottom line for the many recalls, on the supplier of the goods, response to the pioneering dominance of the vehicles we would usually have bought, where 70-75% ing a hugely important role in transforming New Zealand’s distributors involved. which in this case is the importer of the Tesla. of value is retained.” light fleet from fossil-fueled vehicles to EVs. The Motor Industry Association (MIA) used vehicle. Although there are financial benefits, Mr Robilliard says “The majority of new vehicles bought here are bought Boasting similar dimensions to the Tesla has fully endorsed a wide-scale airbag “The MIA is not opposing imports of The Ford Ranger (above) was back on top of the bestselling vehicles table in May it’s important to get staff buy-in. or leased by businesses. These then filter into the con- and the Toyota Highlander (below) proves not all top-selling vehicles are utes Model X SUV, the I-Pace does the same job recall, with thousands of cars affected. used vehicles but these vehicles should “Taking people on the EV journey was really import- sumer market as used vehicles,” he says. “The Takata airbag recall is not be on-sold to consumers with as Tesla’s largest car. But it’s brand new and ant. We’re a company full of engineers who are naturally “I applaud those businesses showing leadership by unprecedented in scale. It is a massively outstanding [open] recalls.” features plenty of technology that shows curious, which has made this easier,” he says. introducing EVs into their fleets and sharing their experi- large and complex logistical issue the Model X up. The Jag also looks better, The Drive Electric white paper also covers charging ences, such as in this paper. It is challenging to be an early affecting new and used vehicles with two Pre-Fieldays rally although anything that left the drawing infrastructure needs. Planning for both onsite charging at adopter and practical, informed advice is an important different types of Takata airbags,” MIA After the ‘stink bug’ issue affecting car headquarters and charging out in public is essential. But part of bringing down the barriers.” board four years ago, as the Tesla did, is chief executive David Crawford says. carrier ships saw new car registration installing charging infrastructure at an owned or leased EECA, another sponsor of the Drive Electric white going to suffer a similar fate alongside a “The alpha type airbag inflator fitted figures falter in the first quarter as building isn’t always as simple as it sounds. paper, helps fleet managers by sup- stylish newcomer. to vehicles between 2001 and 2006 is distributors found themselves unable to “The cost to put in chargers varied widely according to porting the rollout of infrastructure One of the more at risk of failure if activated than fulfil orders, the numbers rallied during the site, and the reasons for that are a whole other con- and car share projects through the Now it’s up to Jaguar to make the I-Pace vehicles in other types of Takata airbag inflators. April and May, as pre-Fieldays special sideration. Every site will have a different power provision Low Emission Vehicles Contestable cool. Desired, even. Tesla’s brand cachet Meridian’s Completion of the recall will require the offers attracted new vehicle buyers. to it. Fund and by providing an online is so vast (even in the face of the ever- electric vehicle co-operation of government and industry In fact, May was the strongest on more gleeful hand-wringing of naysayers) total cost of ownership tool. fleet (below) and the MIA welcomes the government’s record, up 7.9% (1037 units) on May 2017. 4893 commercial vehicles were up 3.0% vehicles, with the Toyota Highlander that well-established car companies with Landlord happy? decision to make the alpha type airbag New vehicle registrations totalled 14,169 (148 units) on May 2017.” splitting the list in third spot. The Ford armies of marketing people on hand might “How does your landlord feel about recall mandatory.” during the month. In the year to date, the Ranger was back at the top of the never gain the same impact that Tesla has it? It’s an improvement to their market is up by 2.7% (1741 units) when Toyota at top bestselling vehicle model table, with 1017 achieved. building, so are they going to con- Many left to fix compared with the first five months of Toyota remains the overall market leader units. tribute? Are you going to separately The MIA undertook a stocktake of 2017. in May, with 18% market share (2569 This was followed by the Toyota Hilux, Remember, Tesla introduced cool cars to meter the power? Who’s paying affected vehicles in New Zealand during “The market for new vehicles units), followed by Ford with 11% (1619 with 582 units, and the Toyota Highlander, people who had never given cars a second for the power? So, there is lots to March, which revealed there are about continues to operate at historically high units) and Mazda with 8% market share with 467 units.