Wellington Mayor Justin Lester is backing the Government’s proposals to help improve the efficiency of the country’s car fleet.

The proposed Clean Car Standard will require importers to progressively bring in more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles and a Clean Car Discount scheme will offer rebates for new and used fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.

Both are aimed at improving the efficiency of light vehicles being imported into New Zealand.

“I applaud the Government for this initiative,” the Mayor says. “Every other OECD country has fuel efficiency standards except New Zealand, Russia and Australia. It has been very effective at driving down emissions and ensuring a wider range of low emission vehicles is sold.

“New Zealand’s car fleet is much older than it should be and we have too many chugging around our cities.”

Wellington City Council has just adopted Te Atakura – First to Zero, which aims to make Wellington a zero carbon city by 2050.

“Te Atakura identifies a zero-emissions transport fleet as one of the seven big moves we have to make.

“Transport accounts for 58 percent of the city’s emissions and if we don’t get a younger and cleaner car fleet we will never reach that goal.

“Given New Zealand’s renewable energy assets, electrifying the fleet makes sense.

“And we can support a growing electric fleet as we are rolling out more EV charging stations in the CBD and suburbs.”

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