NZ’S NEWS SOURCE FOR ELECTRIC, INTELLIGENT AND AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATION VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 3 | NOVEMBER 2017 EVs avoid charges Coventry Cars embraces – for now electric ellington will have its lectric vehicles are winners – es- first electric-hybrid only pecially when it comes to avoid- Wvehicle sales yard when Eing any regional fuel, road user Coventry Cars opens its dedicated charges and the like. site in Lower Hutt on December 1. Other special exemptions are de- Hutt City mayor Ray Wal- signed to encourage EV uptake, such as lace, who’s had an EV for more proposed EV use of special lanes with a than three years, and Labour MP year’s trial in Auckland which started in Ginny Andersen are among invited September. guests. Great for EV owners and drivers – Steven Newman Mark Gilbert Coventry Cars has been selling but who’s going to pay for roading and Newman agrees. vehicles for 23 years since it was related infrastructure, especially when EV He’s well versed on road user founded by owner-director Bruce numbers get up there? charges (RUC) and the like, and believes Stewart. It’s a question that will need answer- New Zealand’s RUC system probably The dedicated EV yard will be ing soon, experts in the automotive holds the key. on the larger of two sites facing industry say. Anyone using New Zealand’s roads each other across Railway Ave. It “If electric vehicle use and vehicle ef- contributes towards their upkeep, the NZ will be separated by barriers from ficiency continues to grow at the current Transport Agency says. the main car yard while still op- rate (100% growth in electric vehicles per Most road users pay levies when they erating under the Coventry Cars year), it won’t be long before fuel con- buy fuel. banner. sumption drops and the revenue from Others, such as drivers/owners of Stewart expects to have around fuel taxes diminishes,” Abley Transporta- light diesel vehicles and heavy vehicles 40 EVs and hybrids on display at tion Consultants say. like trucks pay through RUC. the opening, that’s if the cars stop “At that point, the conversation about At the moment EV owners pay none selling almost as fast as they’re be- how to generate revenue to design, of that. ing brought in from Japan. build, operate and maintain infrastruc- But – EVs are covered by the RUC The vehicles are mainly Nis- ture in the future will become critical to system – which applies basically to san Leafs (generation 1 to 2) and the country as a whole,” principal trans- anything that’s not petrol. It’s just that late-model, low-mileage hybrids portation planner Jo Draper says. EVs are exempt until December 31, 2021, such as the Toyota Prius, Corolla ERoad chief executive officer Steven Continued on page 5 and Lexus. “I believe in electric cars and INSIDE our staff do as well,” Stewart says. Artificial Intelligence – what’s it do? 3 “Zero emissions is part of that.” Back to the future in Gisborne 4 Plug-in hybrids offer an option Leaf driver Uber happy 10 for customers before longer range Holden may Bolt in 14 3 4 Continued on page 9 Drive your business forward with Call Steve Owens now on 021 947 752 NEWSTALK EVtalk acknowledges the support of our foundation sponsors: EVtalk Magazine is published by Auto Media Group 8/152 Quay Street, Limited. P.O. Box 10 50 10, Auckland City, 1030. Ph. 09 309 2444. EDITOR Geoff Dobson [email protected] 021 881 823 GROUP EDITOR AUTO TRADE TITLES Scott Morgan 021 240 2402 [email protected] BUSINESS MANAGER Rachel Hadfield 021 778 745 [email protected] Vehicle Inspection NZ PUBLISHER Vern Whitehead 021 831 153 [email protected] MANAGING EDITOR Richard Edwards 021 556 655 [email protected] OPERATIONS MANAGER Deborah Baxter 027 530 5016 [email protected] Auto Media Group Limited makes every endeavour to ensure information contained in this publication is accurate, however we are not liable for any losses or issues resulting from its use. Printed by: Alpine Printers. evtalk.co.nz evtalk.com.au autotalk.co.nz autotalk.com.au dieseltalk.co.nz dieseltalk.com.au wheeltalk.co.nz identicar.co.nz 2 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2017 | www.evtalk.co.nz NEWSTALK Getting your head around AI I – what is it and how computer generated mod- “I think we might see Driverless forklift tech- does it affect my busi- els,” Miller says. some hybrid solutions in nology was developed in Aness? Such a model can act terms of platooning (a lead- New Zealand and is used in Those are two ques- rather like a flight simula- ing vehicle directing follow- factories here. tions Callaghan Innovation’s tor, helping sort issues and ing ones or ‘slaves’).” “There’s a lot of talent Jonathan Miller is often details before a vehicle is Truck drivers, for instance, in New Zealand working asked. actually produced. might still be needed in on this sort of thing,” Miller It’s his job to explain artifi- AR is already being used autonomous (and probably says. cial intelligence (AI) and how in motorcycle helmets. A electric) trucks to handle Jobs will change but it all works. heads-up display and the trickier side of getting Miller believes that with His expertise an app combine to vehicles from their base to autonomous vehicles and is at the interface provide the rider with the highway and later to their robotics, humans will still be between busi- a visual display in destinations. needed to do the thinking. ness and science the helmet showing But self-driving ap- “AI provides the tools to and technology. speed, navigational plications would probably make jobs easier and lets us Although information and work best on the highways, concentrate on the prob- Miller’s official distance without the leaving the driver free to do lem-solving.” title is national rider taking their eyes other company related work People will need training tech network Jonathan Miller off the road. through on-board commu- and upskilling to perform manager, his role It’s billed as a smart nication systems. new roles, especially as AI is really as a champion for and safer way to ride. Miller says the intelligent will create new employment several digital technologies, Miller believes AI, espe- transport infrastructure here directions. including “demystifying” AI. cially autonomous vehicles, is well advanced, along with New Zealand has the “My job is to explain the will have “a huge impact” on related autonomous devel- skills and technology, along technology and excite cus- society. opments, and cites as an with a good regulatory tomers to try it. It’s demys- “It will change the way we example HMI Technologies’ environment, to foster new tifying the experience for live and work.” work in this field (see EVtalk developments, Miller says. them.” New services, some September magazine, P3 & “The future looks really Artificial intelligence is already being introduced, 22). exciting.” about computer systems enable people to no longer with human-like intelligence. own a vehicle but to ride- The field is already having share or car-share with oth- a big impact on the automo- ers in their area and prob- Adapting to the future tive industry. One aspect, au- ably do their work while tonomous systems, applies travelling. allaghan Innovation relevant.” to self-drive vehicles and “Many new services will is a government Businesses that succeed drones. give people more work and Cagency that helps will be those prepared to Most new or near new leisure time, making roads people adapt to and em- disrupt themselves, Crone vehicles already have some safer,” Miller says. brace new technology. says. form of autonomy, even if And high autonomy might Named after physicist Sir “This is happening in it’s just cruise control. not be far off, he says. Paul Callaghan, it provides industries all the time. Other forms of AI can “Leading auto manufac- customers with advice, Uber is working on self- involve machine learning, turers are saying level four or expertise and access to piloting cars and drones pattern recognition, robot- five autonomy may be ready funding to achieve that. to ensure it’s near the ics, language processing around 2020 to 2025. Chief executive Vic front of the queue when and more. “If that’s the case, the first Crone, a former Auck- autonomous ride-sharing Miller’s interests in the big improvement will be land mayoral candidate, is takes over.” tech field include virtual and around urban mobility.” warning business opera- Each year Callaghan augmented reality (VR and Miller says business mod- tors they need to adapt. Innovation makes about AR). Those are being used els will also change. “In the next decade $140 million available now in training automo- “A survey of auto execu- about half our jobs will through grants in co-fund- tive students. An example is tives found about 59% think disappear. We can either ing situations to help with welding where a mask and that by 2025 more than half replace them with higher- a wide variety of projects. wand simulate the task with- of car owners will no longer value technology enabled Visit www.callaghanin- out anything being scorched. want to own one.” jobs or stand by and watch novation.govt.nz for more “Ford is using VR in its That signals big changes, our economy become ir- information. prototypes, building 3D Miller says. EVTALK NOVEMBER 2017 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 3 NEWSTALK Back to the future at Electric Village isborne is reclaiming coming possible.” its pioneering role in Regional infrastructure Gemerging technolo- company Eastland Group gies.