A National Government will “supercharge electric vehicle infrastructure” by delivering 10,000 public chargers across the country.
Party leader and Botany MP Christopher Luxon says if elected to Government at this year’s general election it will provide a comprehensive, nationwide network of chargers to “unleash renewable transition, deliver infrastructure and rebuild the economy”.
“Supercharging EV infrastructure is part of National’s plan to rebuild the economy.
“After six years of Labour’s economic mismanagement, the economy is in recession, wages haven’t been keeping up with inflation and mortgage rates are hitting Kiwis in the back pocket.
“National will get our economy back on track by delivering the infrastructure New Zealand needs for the future.”
Luxon says about 20 per cent of New Zealand’s total emissions come from transport, so embracing EVs is crucial to delivering our climate change commitments.
“However, Kiwis won’t switch to an EV if they are anxious about whether they will be able to recharge it when and where they need to.
“Under the Labour Government, investment in public EV infrastructure has not kept pace with the rising number of EVs and New Zealand now has the fewest public chargers per electric vehicle in the OECD.
“Accelerating the rollout of EV infrastructure, from the 1200 currently available to 10,000 in 2030, will give more Kiwis the confidence to make the switch to electric.
“That will help achieve both New Zealand’s climate change goals and National’s plan to rebuild the economy for the benefit of all New Zealanders.”
Luxon says National will unleash the transition to an electric transport system by investing in EV infrastructure and cutting red tape to deliver more chargers, in more places, more quickly and more cheaply.
“However, National does not believe New Zealanders who can afford a brand-new electric car need a subsidy from taxpayers to buy it.
“The move to EVs will happen without subsidies as those who can afford new cars choose to reduce their personal carbon footprints and their dependence on fossil fuels. We will therefore end the clean car discount scheme.
“At the same time, National will scrap Labour’s unfair and regressive ‘ute tax’, which taxes the essential work vehicles used by farmers and tradies, many of whom have no practical option to switch to an EV.”
