New Zealand offers new benefits for EV owners

Operators of electric vehicles (EVs) in New Zealand are set to benefit from rule changes which will see heavy electric vehicles being exempt from road user charges and potentially allow drivers of electric vehicles to use bus and high occupancy vehicle lanes. From 1 September 2017 heavy EVs will be exempt from road user charges, which otherwise apply to vehicles that do not pay for petrol at the pump, until they make up two per cent of New Zealand’s heavy vehicle fleet. Changes have also been made to Land
August 9, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Operators of electric vehicles (EVs) in New Zealand are set to benefit from rule changes which will see heavy electric vehicles being exempt from road user charges and potentially allow drivers of electric vehicles to use bus and high occupancy vehicle lanes.

From 1 September 2017 heavy EVs will be exempt from road user charges, which otherwise apply to vehicles that do not pay for petrol at the pump, until they make up two per cent of New Zealand’s heavy vehicle fleet.

Changes have also been made to Land Transport rules, which, from 1 September, will enable road controlling authorities, such as the NZ Transport Agency and local and regional councils, to make bylaws to allow EVs access to special vehicle lanes, such as those dedicated to buses and high occupancy vehicles.

New Zealand has seen positive acceptance of EVs, along with an increase in business opting for EVs as non-passenger vehicles, including light vans for food delivery, public transport and refuse trucks. The Government wants to see this extend to operators of heavy vehicles.

In May 2016, the Government announced its Electric Vehicle Programme, a wide ranging package of measures to encourage the uptake of EVs in New Zealand. The target is to double the fleet each year, reaching 64,000 EV registrations by the end of 2021.

Related Content

  • Vehicle ownership - a thing of the past?
    May 22, 2012
    Convergence of electron-powered vehicles with connected vehicle technologies could mean that only a few decades from now the idea of owning a vehicle will be entirely alien to the road user. By Technolution chief scientist Dave Marples with Jason Barnes Even when taken individually, many of the developments going on and around vehiclebased mobility will bring about major changes in transportation. Taken collectively, the transformations we might expect are nothing short of profound. Enumeration of the influ
    Read More
  • South Africa's traffic management and enforcement gears up
    February 1, 2012
    Paul Vorster, CEO of ITS South Africa, takes a look at the national enforcement situation in the year when the country gears up to host the FIFA Soccer World Cup. There are four main drivers pushing the growth of ITS-related law enforcement within South Africa. These are: transport operations associated with hosting the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010; traffic management linked to increasing congestion; the development of new public transport systems such as BRT; and vehicle and driver-related crime.
    Read More
  • Effectively tackle vehicle pollution
    January 25, 2012
    In 2008, Italy's first traffic charge named 'Ecopass' was launched in Milan in an attempt to reduce road congestion and pollution levels as well as to boost public transport through the re-investment of the pollution charge revenues.
    Read More
  • Bus Services Bill ‘to give greater accountability for customers’
    May 19, 2016
    According to Nathan Marsh, Smart Transport director at EY, a new Bus Services Bill included today’s Queen’s Speech could herald just the beginning of a journey to smarter travel and paves the way for cities and regions to reap the benefits of a London-style network. The speech also included a range of measures to modernise the UK’s economy, such as a Modern Transport Bill which included legislation to enable the development of commercial spaceports and new laws to make the UK ready to pioneer driverless
    Read More

Highlighted Content