EV owners to be hit with road-user changes from today - The Front Page

A Vector charging station for electric vehicles.

The Government’s flicking the off switch with regard to electric vehicle owners.

From today, drivers of light electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will have to pay road-user charges.

Bringing EVs in line with other vehicles has been a priority for this Government, but little else so far has suggested what its plans for the environment and climate change are, or how it will contribute to the global battle against climate change.

Newstalk ZB political and climate reporter Demelza Jackson told The Front Page road-user charges are on the way to ensure the Government has enough money to pay for the roading infrastructure everybody uses.

“One of the arguments for bringing electric vehicles into the scheme, other than just the fact that their fuel source isn’t taxed, is that traditionally, EVs can be a lot heavier than petrol-light cars, which increases the risk of causing wear and tear to our roads.”

“As we know, the Government doesn’t take too kindly to potholes. They campaigned pretty hard on fixing our roading infrastructure. But to do that, they need the money.”

In 2016, the National government of the time exempted electric vehicles from road-user charges to encourage uptake.

It was always billed as a temporary exemption until EVs reached 2 per cent of New Zealand’s fleet — a point they hit last year on the back of the Clean Car Discount surge that put more than 100,000 fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on our roads.

The changes mean from today:

• Owners of 1001-3500kg battery electric vehicles (BEVs or full-electric vehicles like every Tesla or BYD) have to pay $76 for every 1000km they drive.
• Mileage must be pre-paid.
• The AA says the average Kiwi driver clocks just under 12,000km a year, which works out to $912 a year in EV RUC — or probably the best part of $1000 once admin fees (below) are chucked in.
• If you have a PHEV like the popular Mitsubishi Outlander, you’ll pay $38 per 1000km.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about what’s changing and why - and whether the Government’s committed to fighting climate change.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.

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