JUNE 2021 MG NISSAN TESLA LEAF ZS EV MODEL 3 was $61,990 was $48,990 was $69,990 NOW NOW NOW $53,565 MG ZS EV $40,365 TESLA MODEL 3 $61,365 KIA NIRO RENAULTZOE HYUNDAIIONIQ was $77,990 was $65,990 was $79,990 NOW $69,365 NOW $57,365 NOW $71,365 KIA MITSUBISHI SORENTO OUTLANDER REBATES FINALLY was was $73,990 $52,490 ANNOUNCED! NOW NOW $68,240 $46,470 p. 03 P. 04 P. 08 P. 15 EVA'S RACE READY WHEN CAN I GET AN EV UTE? FLEETS LOVE KONA EV Drive your business forward with 1 EVS Call AND Steve BEYOND OwensJUNE 2021 now| WWW.EVSANDBEYOND.CO.NZ on 021 947 752 FINALLY, By Geoff Dobson, A FEEBATE SCHEME Editor V dealerships are bracing for an onslaught of enquiries EV dealers we spoke too are uncertain about that but expect and sales. auction prices in Japan to rise and demand to soar – which may EThat’s now that the Government has announced a counter any “devaluation”. “feebate” scheme in the form of the Clean Car package The “feebate” doesn’t cover motorcycles as they are not presented by transport minister Michael Wood on June 13 – considered polluting to the extent utes and other vehicles are, more of which features in this issue. but electrics are moving ahead in that field too. It’s the EV boost many have been looking for, although some And there’s concern EV education may need to be stepped up to fine-tuning still has to be done – probably through an “EV explain their benefits and bust some of the myths about them sector leadership group” Wood intends establishing shortly. that still seem to be around. EV sellers are reporting the rush started almost as soon as the To that end the Better NZ Trust, which promotes EVs through its announcement aired. website www.leadingthecharge.org.nz, carries myth-busting Is this the end of ICE? posters and information about EVs. The real kick up the exhaust pipe will come from January 1 next It’s also hosting an EV owners gathering on Sunday, June 27, year when the “fee” part of the “feebate” applies to polluting 11am-1pm, at the Auckland Radiology carpark, 53 Lincoln Rd vehicles. in West Auckland, where people keen to seek an EV driver’s perspective can ask questions of some of the 40-50 EV owners Electric utes can’t come quick enough – but will there be expected to be there. enough EVs to satisfy demand? “It’s an ideal opportunity,” trust chair Kathryn Trounson says. That’s another vexed question EV sellers are considering, reported on in this issue. She says the trust is all about EV education and dispelling EV myths but that the EV novelty wore off a few years ago and few The Motor Industry Association (MIA) is among those delighted are keen now to take the rides and drives EV owners offer. with the announcement of an interim rebate from July 1 this year for EVs and PHEVs. “Three to four years ago we had queues at our events, but it seems everyone now knows someone who has an EV.” “At last – incentives for electric vehicles,” it proclaims. Trounson says utes may be a sticking point for farmers and The MIA believes this “will address in part the lack of tradies to switch to EVs, but that electric utes are coming, with affordability new low emission vehicles cost compared to their Rivian, Tesla, Ford and others about to bring them out. internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalent models”. Vans are already available in electric, and trucks are going that “The rules around allowing the discount when calculating way (along with hydrogen for long-haul). fringe benefit tax (FBT) and depreciation will go some way to addressing barriers to uptake of low emission vehicles by Another year will bring more choice, and therefore fewer businesses. However, it stops short of the 50% reduction in excuses for not making the switch. FBT for electric vehicles we have consistently called for.” Present EV owners are questioning whether their EVs have devalued since the Clean Car package announcement. One reckons his Nissan Leaf has devalued by $3450 “because if I sell it, I have to compete with the first registered NZ cars which will be getting that subsidy”. EDITORGeoff Dobson 2 EVS AND BEYOND JUNE 2021 | WWW.EVSANDBEYOND.CO.NZ CLEAN CAR PACKAGE SET TO BOOST EV DEMAND “feebate” scheme to penalise polluters and reward low to zero emission vehicle Apurchasers starts on July 1 and is already fostering a rush on EVs. It could see far fewer utes like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger imported as a result after the imposition of fees on higher emitting vehicles to help fund the scheme begins on January 1, 2022. Meanwhile, a $300 million Budget 2021 allocation is expected to keep the Clean Car package going until such time as it pays for itself. What are the rebates for? New rebates for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) provide up to $8625 for new vehicles and $3450 for used. The rebate for a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is $5750 and a used PHEV $2300. Those vehicles must be under $80,000 (including on-road costs and GST) and have at least a three-star safety rating (www.rightcar. govt.nz). account number and matching proof of vehicle be eligible for funding.” Petrol-electric hybrids like the Toyota RAV4 ownership. don’t qualify for the initial rebate as they’re not Wood says the proposed Sustainable Biofuels plug-ins – but they may get one after January Each year the level of rebates and fees may be Mandate will help reduce emissions from cars, 1 next year when vehicles below 146kg per km adjusted to ensure the scheme is self-funding. trucks, ships and planes by 1.3 million tonnes are likely to qualify. The Clean Car Discount supplements the until 2025 while zero emissions options are developed. Carbon dioxide emission vehicles below the Clean Car Standard announced in January zero-band threshold (where neither a rebate 2021. The standard will require vehicle “Our transport emissions are the fastest nor a fee is incurred at between 146 and 192kg/ suppliers to import more fuel-efficient growing source of greenhouse gas emissions km) like the Ford Ranger (234 CO2 emissions vehicles every year, starting in 2022. in New Zealand, so we need to start taking per km) face a $2780 fee and the Toyota Hilux Businesses will include the discount or fee action now if we’re going to meet our 2050 (236 CO2 per km) incur a $2900 fee in a sliding when calculating Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) and targets,” he says. scale of penalty fees which go as low as $540 depreciation for vehicles they buy. This change “New Zealand is actually lagging behind on for a Mitsubishi ASX (195g/km). will make buying an EV even more attractive to the uptake of EVs, so we’re playing catch-up Car dealers must display clearly CO2 businesses. internationally. Our monthly registrations of emissions and fee/rebate information on Transport minister Michael Wood says the EVs are around half the global average and vehicles for sale and online from 2022 so Clean Car Discount policy only applies to new sales are well below the 50% of monthly sales buyers can make informed purchases. and used cars arriving in New Zealand, so the seen in some European countries.” Who handles the rebates and fees? existing secondhand market that lower income Wood says while some action has already been families tend to buy from will be unaffected. taken to reduce emissions: “We have to do Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will more.” administer the Clean Car Discount scheme He says the Government has been investing and will issue rebates and collect fees directly in EV charging facilities through the low The Government will need to work with the with the vehicle purchasee – not vehicle emission transport fund (known previously as sector to make sure vehicles are available and dealers. the low emission vehicles contestable fund, help develop policies – “which is why I intend administered by the Energy Efficiency and to set up an electric vehicles sector leadership It will issue rebates for eligible BEV and PHEV Conservation Authority). group in the coming weeks”. vehicles first registered on or after July 1, 2021. EV chargers are now available on average Climate change minister James Shaw says That means these types of vehicles ordered or every 75km along most state highways, mainly cutting emissions from transport is vital to bought before July can still receive a rebate if thanks to ChargeNet NZ – which features later addressing the climate crisis. buyers delay registering the vehicle to July 1. in this issue. “Reducing the cost of electric, hybrid and To receive the rebate, buyers of an eligible car “The fund has already co-funded more than low-emission vehicles will also stimulate the will be able to visit www.nzta.govt.nz/cleancar 1100 electric vehicle chargers nationwide,” secondhand market, so in the years to come for more information. Wood says. “Other projects using low emission even more people can access low carbon Owners will be asked to supply their bank fuels like biofuels and hydrogen, will also now transport options.” Continued on page 4.. WWW.EVSANDBEYOND.CO.NZ | EVS AND BEYOND JUNE 2021 3 EVA HAKANSSON TO RACE GREEN ENVY IN AUSTRALIA EARLY 2022 fter a year of disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Astreamliner motorcycle racer Eva Hakansson of Auckland expects to be back racing at Lake Gairdner in South Australia on February 28 to March 4 next year.