Myth or reality? What Kiwi motorists think of EVs. Photo / 123RF
Myth or reality? What Kiwi motorists think of EVs. Photo / 123RF
Attitudes towards greener transport are changing, but New Zealand motorists are still hesitant to go electric, according to new research.
The Future of Motoring consumer survey, released by Driven this week, highlighted current and future trends, and revealed motorists' concerns around electric vehicles (EVs).
The nationwide survey of 2500 Kiwisrevealed 60 per cent would consider buying an EV as their next car.
But conventional ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles still account for the large majority of cars sold and owned, with 79 per cent of respondents saying they own a petrol or diesel car, van or bike, while 10 per cent said they owned an electric vehicle and 8 per cent a hybrid.
Furthermore, consumers appear heavily reliant upon their own personal transport, with 74 per cent saying they saw their current vehicle as their main form of transport over the next five years.
Imports of electric vehicles in New Zealand doubled in the year to March, figures from Stats NZ show.
Electric vehicle imports increased 309 per cent to $543 million in the 12 months to March 31, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) increased 63 per cent ($24m) and 141 per cent ($46m) respectively.
In comparison, the combination of all ICE vehicles increased 42 per cent to $5.5 billion.
Richard Briggs, group manager transport at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, said they were seeing similar patterns in New Zealand compared with overseas, where EV sales are surging.
"Internationally, EECA has seen a huge surge in EV uptake in the last year – around 10 per cent of global car sales were electric in 2021, and the number of EVs sold in 2021 was double the previous year," he said.
"We're seeing a similar pattern in New Zealand – we're approaching 50,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids, around one per cent of the fleet, but 40 per cent of those were registered in the last year."
For 75 per cent of survey respondents, the purchase cost of an EV is the biggest barrier to making the leap to electric.
Concerns over driving range (59 per cent) and accessibility to recharging stations (54 per cent) were the next common deterrents among those surveyed.
Driven editor Dean Evans said while it was encouraging to see consumer attitudes towards sustainable transport changing, greater education was needed on the "myths" surrounding EVs.
"Our latest research shows that ongoing education on cleaner transport options is needed to help challenge the current deterrents to consumers," Evans said.
"There's ample opportunity for auto and electrification aligned sectors to educate consumers on the recent innovations in this space and help debunk some of the commonly held myths, like the concern of accessibility to recharging stations.
"Currently, it's clear consumers only become aware of the vast charging infrastructure already available in New Zealand when they actually make the move to electric."
Briggs of EECA added that battery lifespan and replacement were also common myths.
"There are persistent myths that EV batteries don't last, but an EV battery should last 10-20 years before it degrades to a point it no longer provides useful range," he said.
"At that point, it can be refurbished or replaced. Sometimes it's possible to just replace the dead cells within a battery, and the used battery still has value. It can be refurbished, repurposed or recycled – for example, to store electricity from solar PV panels."
Accessibility to recharging stations is a concern for those looking to purchase an EV. Photo / Lewis Gardner
According to the survey, the Government's Clean Car Programme, or "feebate" scheme, was the biggest motivation to purchase an EV (68 per cent), while environmental impact (65 per cent) and running/maintenance costs and driving performance (61 per cent) found favorability.
Evans said the feebate scheme was only a starting point, but had woken up consumers to the direct financial benefits of cleaner cars.
The programme, announced last year and already in use, will see charges imposed on high emitting vehicles, and rebates given to low-emitting ones.
Motorists can receive subsidised discounts of up to $8625 for the purchase of an EV, hybrid or other low-pollution car.
These are disputed by National, however, with transport spokesman Simeon Brown claiming only about 2,000, or 10 per cent, of the approved applications are for full-battery electric vehicles.
Forty-two per cent of respondents in The Future of Motoring survey said it was either likely or very likely the feebate scheme would influence the purchase of their next vehicle, while 27 per cent remain averse.
Those surveyed said further Government support that would influence whether they bought an EV was better charging infrastructure (37 per cent) and home charging subsidies (21 per cent).
"Given the increasing EV sales, it certainly seems like the Clean Car Discount is having a positive effect. But our research shows there are other motivations, too – including the fact they're less polluting, can be charged at home and they're cheaper to run, especially with the recent high fuel prices," Briggs said.
Ballpark estimations on Meridian Energy's website put the cost of charging an electric vehicle (if you drive an average of 25-30km a day) at home at $3 per 100km - the equivalent to paying $0.30 for a litre of petrol.
Government agency Gen Less compared the cost of EVs versus petrol cars earlier this year, claiming the average electricity cost per 100km for the EVs was $2.43 (or $2.79 including GST) while the average fuel cost per 100km was $18.02 (or $20.72 including GST) for petrol vehicles, based on Unleaded 91.
However, factors like how far you drive and the type of driving you do can vary the cost.
The Ministry for Environment in May said transport is one of New Zealand's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 17 per cent of gross emissions.
"Reducing our fossil-fuelled car use is going to be key to reaching our emission reduction commitments," Briggs said.
