National President Christopher Lacson has announced his commitment to build 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers by the end of the decade if his party is elected to power. Under the ‘Supercharging EV Infrastructure’ policy, the party plans to invest $257 million to build the necessary charging infrastructure across New Zealand.
Luxon highlighted the importance of the policy as part of the National Party’s plan to rebuild the economy after six years of mismanagement by the current Labour-led government. With transport accounting for around 20% of the country’s total emissions, embracing electric vehicles is critical to meeting New Zealand’s climate change commitments.
The current electric vehicle infrastructure in New Zealand is struggling to keep up with the growing number of electric cars on the roads. While electric vehicles will account for just 2.3% of the country’s total light vehicle sales in 2020, that number will jump to nearly 11% by the end of 2022. Luxon’s proposed plan to install 10,000 charging stations aims to address this gap.
The plan has received support from Drive Electric chairman Mark Gilbert, who believes decarbonisation of the transport sector is vital to reducing pollution and achieving the country’s environmental targets. Gilbert emphasized the benefits of the initiative, including lower emissions, reduced air pollution, energy independence and affordable transportation for families.
Despite the good reception, Lacson’s plan depends on the National Party winning the next general election, scheduled for October 14, 2023. In addition, the National Party has expressed its desire to scrap the Clean Vehicle Standard, which disproportionately affects the poor. Electric options are available for vehicles such as utility trucks.
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