PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kiwis Asked to Have a Say on the Future of Electric Vehicles
The Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles (APEV) survey asks if New Zealand wants electric vehicles as part of a green, low carbon future.

Taupo, 13 February 2012 – The Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles (APEV) has launched a research project to gauge whether New Zealanders see electric cars as part of the country’s future commitment to a green, low carbon environment and economy.

Although New Zealand is committed to reducing emissions especially in road transport, there has been no decrease as the country’s fleet continues to be dominated by growing numbers of petrol and diesel vehicles that rely on vast amounts of imported fossil fuels which have increased 22 per cent to nearly $8 billion in the last year alone.

APEV Executive Director Rob McEwen says the milestone survey will seek to identify how receptive New Zealander’s are to having electric vehicles as one solution to boosting our competitive advantage resulting from less reliance imported fossil fuels.

“The survey offers a unique opportunity for Kiwis to have their say on the future for electric vehicles in New Zealand and we encourage as many people as possible to complete it. APEV will use the results to help inform the Government’s energy strategy and how electric vehicles can play an important part in New Zealand’s future," McEwen says.

‘We believe that APEV’s goal of enabling New Zealand to have the largest reduction in transport fuel of any OECD country by 2025 is achievable and we’re hoping that the survey will provide insights into how we might better accelerate the electrification of the transport fleet.”

McEwen adds that it is encouraging that major vehicle manufacturers such as Nissan and Mitsubishi of Japan have already produced two fully electric vehicles for sale in New Zealand.

“Electric cars like the Nissan Leaf are state of the art and can be plugged directly into the wall socket to be charged. Producing zero tailpipe emissions, electric cars offer everyone a safe and highly appealing urban driving experience that we think more and more New Zealanders will want to share as part of their commitment to a green economy and environment.”

The APEV survey can be found and completed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K65QSZP and a report on the research will be released later this year.

ENDS

About APEV www.apev.org.nz
APEV has received initial sponsorship from highly successful Japanese businessman and chairman of APEV Japan, Soichiro Fukutake - now a New Zealand resident - and is being hosted at the NZ Clean Energy Centre in Taupo. The Executive Director is Rob McEwen, CEO of the NZ Clean Energy Centre. Other directors include Hideaki Fukutake, CEO of efu Investment Ltd and Director of SIM-Drive Corporation, Duncan Stewart, Founder & Director of The Greenhouse and Campaign Manager for Pure Advantage, and Stephen Matthews, CEO of the Motor Trade Association.
APEV aims to provide all New Zealanders with a cleaner, healthier, more secure future by accelerating the electrification of the transportation fleet. Their goal is to achieve the largest annual percentage reduction in transport fossil fuel consumption of any OECD country by 2025.
APEV offers four categories of membership: Corporate, Small to Medium Enterprise, Individual, and Local Government.

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope forCriticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>