New Zealand: Transport
National electric vehicle fleet grows to 2000
19 Oct 2016
New Zealand now has more than 2000 electric vehicles – twice as many as at the start of the year.
Big business gives big yes to vehicle fleets going electric
17 Oct 2016
Some of New Zealand’s largest businesses are pledging to convert their vehicle fleets to electricity, collectively avoiding more than 3000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year within three years.
Electric cars set to pass two million mark
14 Oct 2016
The number of plug-in electric cars on the world’s roads is set to pass the landmark of 2m vehicles by the end of this year, with industry observers saying the electric car revolution is finally under way.
Investors tell car industry to get a move on
13 Oct 2016
Major investors have warned the automotive industry it needs to accelerate its readiness for a low-carbon world if it is to retain their support and prosper.
Germany wants to see end of gas and diesel cars by 2030
12 Oct 2016
Germany’s Bundesrat has approved a resolution that calls for a ban on new internal combustion engines by 2030.
Europe eyes e-car plug in every new home
12 Oct 2016
Every new or refurbished house in Europe will need to be equipped with an electric vehicle recharging point, under a draft EU directive expected to come into effect by 2019.
Delaying action on ship emissions would kill many
11 Oct 2016
A push by the shipping and oil industries for a five-year delay to curbs on toxic sulphur emissions would cause an extra 200,000 premature deaths from lung cancer and heart disease, says a new report.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
10 Oct 2016
A futuristic electric urban car has met its half-million-euros funding target in less than two days.
Global aviation emissions deal gets wings
7 Oct 2016
A global carbon market for aviation that could see New Zealand offsetting three million tonnes of emissions a year is going ahead.
Americans buy more EVs than ever before
7 Oct 2016
US plug-in vehicle sales reached a quarterly record for the three-month period that ended September 30.
Freight operators can make huge savings, says expert
4 Oct 2016
Planning and co-operation could see the freight sector cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent, says an international expert.
Airline emissions deal could boost offset bills
3 Oct 2016
A new global market-based measure for aviation emissions could see New Zealand having to offset 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.
We've pumped out an extra 500,000 tonnes of gases
3 Oct 2016
Last year’s jump in New Zealand's fossil-fuel consumption from transport probably put an extra 500,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, an expert says.
UN close to landmark deal on aircraft emissions
3 Oct 2016
A UN negotiation is inching towards a landmark deal to curb emissions from airplanes, although environmental groups have warned that the plan will not go far enough to help slow climate change.
Every future Prius might be a plug-in hybrid
30 Sep 2016
Toyota is considering making every future Prius a plug-in hybrid.
Are we finally about to get an aviation emissions deal?
27 Sep 2016
Delegates from more than 190 nations today will begin an 11-day meeting in Montreal to determine the final form of a scheme to reduce greenhouse emissions from the aviation industry.
NZ will join aviation emissions agreement
23 Sep 2016
New Zealand will join an international market-based system to reduce aviation emissions, the Government has just announced.
NZ mulls over stand on aviation emissions
22 Sep 2016
New Zealand is considering its position on international plans to reduce the aviation industry’s impact on the climate.
Emissions targets need all-electric cars
22 Sep 2016
A new study says that achieving limits on temperature rise agreed at last year’s Paris climate conference will require a massive switch to zero emissions electric-powered vehicles, coupled with the development of a completely decarbonised power sector.
Tokyo wants self-drive cars for 2020 Olympics
22 Sep 2016
Tokyo aims to introduce self-driving vehicles by the time the Olympic Games are staged there in 2020.
CARMAGEDDON | Let's face it, cars always were a dumb idea
21 Sep 2016
It was a mistake – a monumental, world-class mistake. Cars for everyone was one of the most stupid promises politicians ever made.
Toyota using sewage to power new electric car
21 Sep 2016
For unlimited clean energy, Toyota is turning to one of the dirtiest places there is: the toilet.
We need a million electric vehicles, says report
20 Sep 2016
New Zealand needs 1.2 million light electric vehicles on the road by 2030 to meet its Paris Agreement emissions reduction target, a report shows.
Minister admits Government can't afford e-cars
20 Sep 2016
Government departments are so cash-strapped they can’t afford to buy electric vehicles, the transport minister says.
DUNNE DEAL | United Future offers cash for e-cars
19 Sep 2016
One of the Government’s support parties is promising to do what Treasury advised and what the Government has refused to do – offer cash to anyone buying electric vehicles.
New stations blossom in e-drive week
19 Sep 2016
International Drive Electric Week last week saw new electric vehicle charging stations opened in Nelson, Thames Wellington and Auckland.
RAIL v ROAD: Trains still come out in front
16 Sep 2016
Rail will continue to out-perform road transport when it comes to climate change, regardless of whether it’s using electric trains or not, KiwiRail says.
GOODBYE GAS: Why petrol cars must go by 2035
16 Sep 2016
The last gasoline-powered car will have to be sold by about 2035 to put the world on track to limit global warming to the most stringent goal set by world leaders last year, a new study says.
Minister way off mark on EVs, says transport expert
15 Sep 2016
Government suggestions that improved fuel efficiency will get New Zealand’s transport emissions under control are nonsense, an expert says.
Stand by for the electric Mini
15 Sep 2016
BMW is planning a big shift in its electric vehicle strategy that would greenlight electric versions of some of its most important vehicles, including the 3-series sedan, X4 crossover and iconic Mini.
E-bus can run 560km on one charge
14 Sep 2016
Manufacturer Proterra is debuting a new electric bus, called the Catalyst E2 Series, that can drive up to 560 kilometres per charge.
Fasten your seat belt - turbulence is on the rise
13 Sep 2016
Severe turbulence, which recently forced the emergency landing of a transatlantic flight, is on the rise. But why and what can be done?
RUC exemption could save thousands for truckers
12 Sep 2016
Truck and bus operators could save thousands of dollars a year under road-user charge exemptions now before the Government.
New EV exemption won't work, says Treasury
9 Sep 2016
The Government is extending an exemption from road user charges for light electric vehicles – despite being told by Treasury that the move won’t get more people into electric cars.
Waste Management fleet going electric
9 Sep 2016
Waste Management is converting its rubbish trucks to run on electricity as part of plan to switch its 1000-strong fleet away from fossil fuels.
Shipping industry prepares for looming climate tax
9 Sep 2016
As pressure mounts on shipping to pull its weight in global climate efforts, the sector is anticipating a carbon price on bunker fuels.
Shipping pollution kills thousands a year in Asia
7 Sep 2016
A boom in shipping is aggravating air pollution in China and other nations in east Asia, causing thousands of deaths a year in a region with eight of the world’s 10 biggest container ports, scientists have said.
Big Two back move on aviation emissions
5 Sep 2016
China and the United States have pledged support for a new deal to curb carbon dioxide emissions from the aviation sector.
Global carmakers select a different forward gear
5 Sep 2016
As China's domestic firms bet heavily on electric cars, foreign peers are set to stay in a different, petrol-driven gear.
Why shipowners see little point in greener vessels
1 Sep 2016
Efficient ships can save millions of dollars in fuel costs, but their owners see little of the benefit.
Most of China's 200 EV startups are facing wipeout
31 Aug 2016
China’s electric-vehicle industry, with 200-plus companies backed by a raft of billionaires, verges on a massive shakeout as the government imposes stricter technology standards on fledgling manufacturers and considers limiting their number to only 10.
Four ways technology will change commuting
26 Aug 2016
Columbus, Ohio, is a mid-size city known primarily as the home of Ohio State University, not as a hub of cutting edge technology for public transportation. But that is exactly what this city of 790,000 people plans to be.
Group of 10 to advise on electric vehicles
25 Aug 2016
Nine men and one woman have been appointed to the Government’s Electric Vehicles Leadership Group.
RANGE ANXIETY: Today’s e-cars right on the button
25 Aug 2016
Electrifying transportation is one of the most promising ways to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, but so-called range anxiety – concern about being stranded with an uncharged car battery – remains a barrier to electric vehicle adoption.
Electric car sales increase 21% in Europe
24 Aug 2016
A total of 91,300 electric vehicles were sold in Europe in the first six months of this year – a 21 per cent year on year increase.
Why we should aim for a million electric vehicles
22 Aug 2016
Replacing a million fossil fuel-driven cars with electric vehicles would cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20 per cent in the crucial 2021-2030 period, officials say.
Helsinki to trial self-driving buses
22 Aug 2016
Two self-driving buses will carry people during a one month trial on the public roads in Helsinki, Finland.
Airbus develops electric air taxis
18 Aug 2016
The Airbus Group is developing an autonomous flying vehicle platform as a solution for growing surface-transport gridlock in cities.
US issues new rules for truck emissions
18 Aug 2016
The Obama Administration has issued a new rule requiring heavy-duty trucks, such as tractor trailers, buses, and garbage trucks, to be more fuel efficient.
Pacific Islands call for fossil fuel phase-out, NZ hangs back
Thu 23 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Pacific Islands nations have launched a landmark declaration for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, calling for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and urgent phase-out of fossil fuels, however New Zealand isn’t rushing to join the call.
Announcements expected soon on $200M gas fund
Fri 24 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Fossil fuel companies appear likely to take up a $200 million government fund to encourage additional oil and gas exploration, dashing lobbyist Business New Zealand’s hopes that it might be repurposed to underwrite industrial electrification.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
Wilding conifers continue to plague Southland
17 Apr 2026
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Fast-spreading conifer trees are causing headaches in Southland as inconsistent funding continues to hinder control efforts.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
Wed 22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
