New Zealand backs more low-emission vehicle options

Wellington, Feb 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) The New Zealand government has extended additional support to clean up the environment with the approval for 22 new low-emission transport projects, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods said on Wednesday.

A community electric bike and car share scheme, additional EV charging stations, as well as five hydrogen trucks and a demonstration electric truck, are some of the latest projects to get government co-funding, Xinhua news agency quoted Woods as saying in a statement.

"The Climate Change Commission's recently-released draft report rightly points out how crucial reducing transport emissions is to meeting our climate change goals. It shows we are on the right track by supporting the uptake of cleaner technologies," she said.

The Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund (LEVCF) will contribute NZ$3.7 million ($2.67 million) to the projects, with the 22 recipients contributing a total of NZ$9.4 million ($6.8 million).

The fund is administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.

Projects include Otautahi (Christchurch) Community Housing Trust's initiative, which is giving its tenants the opportunity to share, rather than own transport through community car or e-bike share scheme.

Fuso and Hyundai Motors New Zealand have also secured funding for both electric and hydrogen demonstration trucks, respectively.

"Demonstrating and proving the potential for electric and hydrogen heavy vehicles is important, as heavy freight has an outsized impact on transport emissions," Woods said.

She noted the continued expansion of the public charging network.

In total, the LEVCF has co-funded over 600 public EV chargers, of which more than 450 are operational.

"The growing charging network should give New Zealand households and businesses thinking of purchasing EVs the confidence to do so, in the knowledge the infrastructure is increasingly available," the Minister added.

Source: IANS