Clean-car scheme holds off on motorbikes

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has indicated motorbikes may be included in plans to reduce emissions from road transport in the future.

The initial stage of the clean-car discount will see consumers receive rebates of up to $8,625 for a new battery electric vehicle and $3,450 for a used import after they have been registered in New Zealand for the first time.

Discounts for new and used plug-in hybrids will be $5,750 and $2,300 respectively.

These rebates run from July 1 to December 31 with a full feebate starting on January 1, 2022.

However, motorbikes have been omitted from the start of the clean-car discount because they are not considered a major issue when it comes to New Zealand’s emissions problem.

“Motorcycles represent a small part of new-vehicle sales,” Ewan Delany, a spokesman for the MoT, told TNVZ.

“It’s estimated that in 2019 motorcycle emissions accounted for 0.4 per cent of all CO2 emissions from our light-vehicle fleet.”

There are few electric motorcycles on sale at the moment, but numbers are growing. Suzuki and Honda products are expected to hit the market soon.

The Evoke brand specialises in electric two-wheelers, while Harley-Davidson is a market leader in this sector.

Delany adds that as new technologies emerge, the feebate scheme may expand to include motorcycles.

“While this segment was excluded from the initial clean-car standard and recently announced clean-car discount, it may be considered for inclusion as the scheme progresses, so that we can respond to the opportunity new EV and low-emission technologies in the motorcycle segment represent."

The scheme also excludes mopeds and motor tricycles, as well as all heavy vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. Also excluded is any vehicle with a safety rating of less than three stars.