EV owners to benefit from rule change

Electric Vehicle (EV) owners should benefit from a rule change where they will be exempt from road user charges and can possibly use bus and high occupancy vehicles lanes, when driving their EV. According to transport minister Simon Bridges, as of 1 September, 2017 heavy EVS will be exempt from road user charges until they make up two per cent of New Zealand's heavy vehicle fleet. “Light EVs are already exempt from paying road user charges until 31 December 2021. On top of all of the other benefits that EVs generate, extending this exemption to heavy EVs will offer a significant cost reduction to the operators of these vehicles,” Bridges says. Changes have also been made to Land Transport rules, which from 1 September, will enable road controlling authorities, such as the NZ Transport Agency and local and regional councils, to make bylaws to allow EVs access to special vehicle lanes, such as those dedicated to buses and high occupancy vehicles. “The positive acceptance of EVs in New Zealand is having real benefits. We are now offering more choice in new EVs than ever before. We are also seeing an increase in the number of used EVs importers are bringing into the country,” Bridges says. In May 2016, the Government announced its Electric Vehicle Programme, a wide ranging package of measures to encourage the uptake of EVs in New Zealand. The target is to double the fleet each year, reaching 64,000 EV registrations by the end of 2021.