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New Zealand doubles uptake of electric vehicles

Xinhua, October 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered in New Zealand so far this year has already doubled the figure last year, boosting the government's aim to hit 64,000 electric vehicles by 2021.

To date this year, 1,003 EVs had been registered, compared with 500 in 2015, bringing the total number of EVs in New Zealand to 2,029, Transport Minister Simon Bridges said Tuesday.

Registrations showed there had been a move from new plug-in hybrids in early 2014 to an increasing number of imported used EVs this year.

"This increasing number of imported used vehicles will diversify the range of EVs on offer and make them more affordable and accessible for a wider range of people and businesses," Bridges said in a statement.

"We want to encourage New Zealanders to go electric because the benefits are clear. They're cheaper to run than petrol or diesel vehicles and, because they're powered by our abundant renewable electricity supply, they'll reduce the amount of emissions that come from the country's vehicle fleet."

Last week, some of New Zealand's biggest companies threw their support behind the drive to electrify the country's vehicle fleet with a pledge to boost the total number of electric vehicles by 75 percent.

The initiative, driven jointly by national carrier Air New Zealand and electricity generator Mercury, represented a total corporate sector commitment of more than 1,450 vehicles over the next three years.

In May, the government revealed a target of doubling EV registrations each year to hit 64,000 in 2021. Endit