The CoL has quietly kicked to the kerb the idea of making all government vehicles (where practicable) electric by 2025.
“Although it was repeated as recently as June, that goal has been very quietly revised to a commitment that, after mid-2025, all new vehicles entering the fleet will be emissions-free.”
Marc Daalder, writing for Newsroom, says:
“Making the government fleet fully emissions-free would have been a daunting task, even with the “where practicable” caveat. The Government’s progress so far has been abysmal.
Out of around 15,000 vehicles, less than half of a percent of the Government’s fleet is electric. This has been the case for at least the past nine months, according to data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.”
Newsroom
Given our PTPM’s insistence on there being a climate emergency as recently as last week – when she took the UN podium following Thunderpants’ address – why the down grade?
Is it par for the course, ie the usual CoL downhill trend, from KiwiFail to EVFail?
Did they finally ask themselves why more people aren’t investing in EVs?
Or could it be that they eventually did their sums and added up the lost fuel taxes which, according to David Seymour add up to around $20,000 per fossil fuelled vehicle.
“Motorists already pay an ETS charge of approximately 6c per litre when buying petrol. They then pay a further 64c of other taxes and, in Auckland, a further 10c regional fuel tax. GST is charged on top of those costs, taking the total tax per litre to around 81c per litre (and 92c in Auckland). Purchasers of electric vehicles are already absolved of at least 80c per litre in tax on their fuel.
The Green Party has long (incorrectly) argued that tax treatment of oil and gas exploration amounts to a subsidy to the industry. They cannot deny, then, that avoiding petrol taxes is already a major subsidy to electric vehicles.
Over the lifetime of a vehicle, the subsidy to electric vehicles is already very large. The driver of a Toyota Corolla that travels 300,000km at 8L/100km will pay approximately $20,000 of fuel tax over its life time (80c/L x 8L/100km x 300,000km). For less efficient vehicles, the lifetime subsidy is much larger.”
Scoop
Naturally, the greens are purple in the face about the government back down.
“Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Amanda Larsson criticised the decision. “The Government’s quiet back down on electrifying its vehicle fleet is surprising and incredibly disappointing,” she said.
This is a climate emergency and the Government should be leading by example to cut our dependence on the dirty fuels driving this crisis.”
The wheels have fallen off the CoL’s foray into EVs.
“The Government might consider that electric vehicles are a very expensive way of reducing emissions already, and avoid putting further money into such an ineffective approach.
“The ‘social justice’ wing of the Green Party might ask why the party is prepared to put even more cost onto those who drive cheap, reliable cars such as petrol powered Toyota Corollas, just so the ‘environmental’ wing can try out a Tesla.”
David Seymour was three months ahead of the CoL in arriving at his conclusion.