EV owners flouting RUC rule
Nearly 12,000 electric vehicle (EV) owners are likely to be hit with penalties after failing to purchase their first road user charges (RUC) licence before the government’s May 31 deadline.
EVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) became subject to RUC on April 1 this year but owners were given until the end of last month to buy a licence.
Failure to have done so risks motorists receiving a $200 fine from police and a 10 per cent penalty on unpaid charges, reports the NZ Herald.
The NZ Transport Agency says there was 88.75 per cent compliance with the new rules as of June 4, with RUC licences acquired for 93,261 vehicles of the 105,105 affected by the policy change.
EVs and PHEVs had previously been exempt from RUC but now owners of such cars must pre-pay for the distance they’re going to travel, in units of 1,000km. The rate for EVs is $76 per 1,000km and $38 for PHEVs.
The number yet to buy their first block of charges represents about $15 million in lost revenue for the NZTA, on an annualised basis, according to calculations by the NZ Herald based on the AA’s average mileage stats.
