Research Report: Electric vehicle policy: NZ in a comparative context

a research report by Barry Barton and Peter Schütte, Centre for Environmental, Resources and Energy Law, University of Waikato (Nov 2015)

Electric vehicles are presently attracting a great deal of attention worldwide.  In comparison with internal combustion engine vehicles, they offer public benefits in respect of:

• greenhouse gas emissions,
• energy efficiency,
• energy security,
• air pollution and noise.

This is particularly so in New Zealand where approximately 80 per cent of electricity is generated from renewable resources. Transport is a large and rapidly-growing contributor to New Zealand’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nonetheless, electric vehicles (EVs) are motor vehicles, and their promotion does not solve problems of highway congestion and travel time. This study analyzes laws and policy measures that can be put in place in order to encourage the uptake of EVs in the light vehicle fleet. The EV policies of California, Norway, and Germany receive particular attention.