New Zealand: Transport
Cutting carbon will cost tourism and export industries
19 Nov 2020
The tourism and export sectors need to prepare for growing transport costs, Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr is warning.
Anger as IMO says shipping emissions can keep climbing
19 Nov 2020
Countries have agreed a package of energy-efficiency measures that will allow emissions from global shipping to continue to rise until 2030.
Greek island ditches fossil-fuel cars
13 Nov 2020
For one Greek island the future is green - it's switching from internal combustion-driven transport to electric vehicles.
Tesla investor defends soaring share price
9 Nov 2020
One of the biggest investors in Tesla has defended the explosive growth in the US electric carmaker’s share price, arguing that it is “far from an aberration”.
Air travel’s date with sustainability draws nearer
9 Nov 2020
Aviation is gearing up for big changes in how the industry is regulated, as climate targets bite. The options available to decarbonise planes are plentiful and the challenge now is to invest enough resources in tech upgrades and regulatory tweaks to get the job done.
Bentleys will be fully electric by 2030
6 Nov 2020
Bentley, the luxury carmaker, will stop making fossil-fuel cars by 2030 and aims to be completely carbon-neutral at the same time, in one of the most ambitious plans of any UK car manufacturer in the transition towards electric vehicles.
Creative book-keeping helps carmarkers meet EU climate code
5 Nov 2020
Car manufacturers are shelling out millions of euros on so-called pooling agreements with rival firms in an attempt to avoid big EU fines for missing CO2 reduction targets. Fiat-Chrysler, Ford, Honda and others have so far brokered deals.
Why it's hard to cut aviation emissions
4 Nov 2020
A 1940s tax-exemption treaty designed to protect the fledgling aviation industry set airlines on a path to high emissions and low regulation.
Aviation joins the electric age
30 Oct 2020
New Zealand’s first electric plane will take to the skies today.
Consortium plans carbon-capture projects
29 Oct 2020
After decades spent extracting fossil fuels from the UK’s North Sea, a consortium of oil companies is preparing to pump Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions back beneath the seabed to help meet the government’s climate ambitions.
Electric cars 'as cheap to manufacture' as regular models by 2024
23 Oct 2020
Electric cars will cost the same to make as conventional cars, with internal combustion engines, by 2024, according to new research.
Exxon’s leaked documents reveal pollution plan
12 Oct 2020
Leaded documents show Exxon plans to increase its carbon production by 17 per cent by 2025 - an increase equivalent to the total annual emissions of Greece.
Refinery closure could boost global emissions
5 Oct 2020
Refining New Zealand has confirmed cost-cutting measures for next year, but says a decision on whether to stop refining operations altogether is still a while away.
Toyota reveals plan to turn trucks into emissions-free 'power plants'
18 Sep 2020
Portable emissions-free “power plants” could soon hit the road under plans by Toyota to fit some of the company’s light-duty trucks with hydrogen fuel cells that can generate electricity.
Biofuels maker says policies needed to cut carbon
7 Sep 2020
Fuel retailer Z Energy says direct intervention is the fastest and most effective way to decarbonise the transport sector.
Aviation emissions nearly doubled in two decades
7 Sep 2020
Flying is responsible for 3.5 per cent of global emissions, scientists say in new research.
A Tesla electric plane? Elon Musk hints it’s not far away
26 Aug 2020
Elon Must once said that one day, all transportation will be electric, except for rocks. Yes, that even includes aeroplanes, which have long been on his list of things to electrify.
New EV is a 'loft on wheels'
19 Aug 2020
With start-up electric vehicle companies coming thick and fast, California's Canoo is targeting its broke, urban Millennial market by putting a couch in the back of its prototypes.
Hyundai expands electric fleet
11 Aug 2020
Hyundai to build three new EV models - including two new electric SUVs - under revamped and expanded Ioniq electric brand.
Hydrogen stations on the way
7 Aug 2020
The Government is putting $20 million into establishing a national network of hydrogen fuelling-stations.
Major ship emissions study flags a bigger role for governments
6 Aug 2020
Greenhouse gas emissions from shipping increased by 9.6% from 2012 to 2018, as rising demand outweighed efficiency improvements.
Trucks and buses are the electric future
5 Aug 2020
There aren't enough batteries in the world to electrify all the cars, so instead we should be focusing on trucks and buses.
Flying to bounce back faster in domestic markets
3 Aug 2020
Air travel is resuming on many routes as restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus ease.
E-trains gain upper hand over hydrogen locomotives
31 Jul 2020
Rail operators could make big savings by choosing electric battery power over hydrogen fuel cells when replacing diesel engines, a new study has suggested, although the ever-changing price of energy means the jury is still out on the best power source.
The campaign that made Swedes give up flying for good
29 Jul 2020
Europe’s major airlines are likely to see their turnover drop by 50 per cent this year as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, while European airports expect to welcome 700 million fewer passengers.
States rev up plans for electric trucks and vans
27 Jul 2020
The world enjoyed cleaner air and clearer skies earlier this year as streets and highways largely emptied during coronavirus-related lockdowns. The sharp decline of oil-burning vehicles gave a glimpse into a world without pollution-spewing tailpipes and fewer growling 18-wheelers, school buses, and other large vehicles.
Tesla crushes rivals with first full-year profit
24 Jul 2020
Electric vehicle-maker Tesla has posted its first full-year profit – not just beating analyst expectations but also cementing its position as the most valuable automaker in the world and highlighting the huge advantage it holds over legacy car makers.
Cars rule as virus shakes up travel trends
22 Jul 2020
As with other parts of the global economy, covid-19 has led to rapid changes in transport trends.
EV owners plug in to help to avoid blackouts
10 Jul 2020
Electric vehicles can help to keep the air clean in cities – as we’ve seen recently with the reduction of traffic through covid-19 lockdowns – but they face two obstacles.
Airlines granted huge emissions reprieve by UN compromise
3 Jul 2020
The United Nations' aviation emissions offsetting scheme will not take 2020 into account when calculating how much airlines have to pay to neutralise their carbon dioxide output - a move environmental groups say makes a mockery of climate policy.
Capital's buses on fast track to electric drive
29 Jun 2020
Nearly a quarter of Wellington’s buses will be electric by 2023.
Shipping needs to clean up act - and do it now
26 Jun 2020
The shipping industry is in urgent need of a makeover: while limited attempts are being made to lessen polluting emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases in the road transport and aviation sectors, shipping lags even further behind in the clean-up stakes.
Denmark’s e-ferry passes sea trials in style
24 Jun 2020
The world’s largest all-electric ferry completed 10 months of trials last week, as the EU-funded project revealed that battery-powered boats will save operators money compared to their diesel counterparts during their decades of service.
Why carmakers must overhaul production plans
15 Jun 2020
The world’s 14 biggest carmakers are on course to miss globally agreed climate targets, a leading sustainable finance think-tank has said, urging investors to do more to pressure boards to change their production plans.
How science shoots down hydrogen cars
5 Jun 2020
Hydrogen cars won’t overtake electric vehicles because they’re hampered by the laws of science.
Green bailouts will let airlines off the hook
29 May 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has grounded thousands of aircraft, contributing to the largest-ever annual fall in CO2 emissions. But at some point the planes will fly again and with them, global emissions.
Why a bullet train could increase greenhouse gas emissions
26 May 2020
Bullet trains are back on Australia's political agenda. As the major parties look for ways to stimulate the economy after the COVID-19 crisis, Labor is again spruiking its vision of linking Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane with high-speed trains similar to the Eurostar, France’s TGV or Japan’s Shinkansen.
Electric bikes could halve transport emissions
25 May 2020
Replacing just 20 per cent of car miles travelled with e-bike travel could cut Britain's greenhouse gas emissions from transport by up to eight million tonnes a year, new research shows.
Regional rail wins funding for business case
22 May 2020
A proposal for new trains to replace diesel engines with electric and expand Wellington’s regional rail service has won Government funding – but only to see if the business case stacks up.
Third of new Toyotas are hybrid, says company
14 May 2020
A third of new Toyota vehicles sold in New Zealand are hybrids, the company says.
Nats don't like railway network plans
4 May 2020
National is resisting moves to run the country’s rail network on a less-than-purely-commercial footing.
Costs kill Mercedes dreams of hydrogen
29 Apr 2020
Mercedes-Benz is killing its programme to develop passenger cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Flying and driving on post-covid agenda
21 Apr 2020
A third of New Zealanders intend travelling again when covid-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted, new research shows.
Airlines bailouts should come with climate conditions
6 Apr 2020
Financial help from taxpayers to airlines hit by the coronavirus crisis must come with strict conditions on their future climate impact, green campaigners have said.
It's official, e-cars produce less CO2
25 Mar 2020
Electric vehicles produce less carbon dioxide than petrol cars across the vast majority of the globe – contrary to the claims of some detractors, who have alleged that the CO2 emitted in the production of electricity and their manufacture outweighs the benefits.
General Motors wants to go big on EVs
20 Mar 2020
General Motors' Bolt and Volt models never sold well, but now the company is touting a battery that has more range than Tesla’s.
Ride-hailing operations highly carbon intensive
27 Feb 2020
A new study finds the ride-hailing companies emit nearly 70 percent more carbon thanks largely to a practice known as “deadheading.”
Pricey carbon could push up prices at the pump
26 Feb 2020
Carbon prices of $50 a tonne – the figure the Government is putting forward as the new price cap – could put the price of diesel up 13c a litre and petrol up 7c a litre.
Air NZ joins space agency in climate watch
25 Feb 2020
Air New Zealand is working with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration to monitor climate change in New Zealand.
Fertiliser could power ocean-going ships
25 Feb 2020
Ocean-going ships could be powered by ammonia within the decade as the shipping industry takes action to curb carbon emissions.
Nature is not an economic handbrake: Environmental Defence Society
Fri 16 May 2025
Nature is not a handbrake on economic growth – the two must go hand in hand, attendees heard on the final day of the Environmental Defence Society’s Dollars and Sense conference this week.
Methanex closure comes early this year
Wed 14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Climate-denying farming groups attack govt’s methane strategy
Fri 16 May 2025
A trio of farming groups is claiming that a survey shows 95% of farmers have rejected the government’s methane strategy.
NZ could ditch 8 million fossil fuel machines right now to slash emissions
7 May 2025
The majority of the country’s ten million fossil fuel machines could be replaced cost-effectively with electric equivalents right now, new research from Rewiring Aotearoa has revealed.
Farming lobby attacks ‘loopholes’ in carbon forestry limits
7 May 2025
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is urging the government to close what it says are loopholes in new guidance around limits on carbon forestry.
FMA exemption grants compliance relief to climate reporters
7 May 2025
The Financial Markets Authority has signed off on new exemptions giving climate-reporting entities a break from some of their compliance duties.
