Clean car targets win praise
A US-based organisation has given its support to the New Zealand government’s clean car package and says the measures will put the country on track to a full transition to a zero-emissions light vehicle fleet.
Details of an international analysis of the clean car discount and clean car standard have been published online by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to coincide with the roll-out of the feebate scheme, which charges fees or provides rebates based on the emissions of newly registered light vehicles.
The standard will impose penalties at the point of import from 2023 and aims to encourage importers to bring in lower-emissions vehicles into New Zealand.
The MoT has published details online of the independent comparison by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) of New Zealand’s carbon dioxide (CO2) targets for vehicles against those of other countries and an assessment of how feasible those goals are.
Officials from ICCT say the targets in the clean car standard can be met with a combination of CO2 reduction of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and a significant uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).
“Setting long-term targets for 2023-2027 provides regulatory certainty for the industry to develop their business strategy,” the ICCT adds.
“This is in line with the latest practices in the major vehicle markets… A longer-term standard also gives higher certainty for New Zealand to evaluate the progress toward its 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target.
“Setting annual CO2 targets ensures a consistent CO2 reduction effort year over year. This will eliminate the risk that importers choose not to adopt better technology in the intervening years.”
The independent comparison can be read by clicking here.
The MoT has also published an overview of the full clean car discount, which came into effect from April 1, and it can be found here.
Monthly electric vehicle (EV) statistics and details about the overall fleet from the MoT can be accessed by clicking here.
Meanwhile, details of light vehicle registrations, including average CO2 emission, is available here.
