New Zealand: Transport
UK gives Jaguar Land Rover loan for e-cars
17 Jul 2019
THE UK Government has handed Jaguar Land Rover a loan guarantee of more than $NZ900,000 to help to accelerate its progress in the global electric vehicle race.
Government pushes plans for cleaner cars
9 Jul 2019
New emissions standards for cars could cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than five million tonnes over 20 years.
Air NZ jettisons plastic products
9 Jul 2019
The removal of plastic from Air New Zealand’s in-flight service is cutting its carbon emissions, the airline says.
Costly aircraft contrails are going sky-high
3 Jul 2019
The clouds created by jet engine pollution have a surprisingly powerful short-term impact on global warming.
Let's include pollution deaths in road toll
1 Jul 2019
Deaths from air pollution caused by vehicles should be included in the road toll, doctors and electric vehicle campaigners say.
Few Air NZ passengers offset emissions
28 Jun 2019
Only a fraction of people flying to and from New Zealand are offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from their flights, according to Air New Zealand figures.
'Rugby, big cars and beer' worries expert
28 Jun 2019
Energy and climate expert Professor Ralph Sims has been trying for years to get the message across to New Zealanders that driving cars is our climate downfall.
Storms threaten billions in road-rail damage
26 Jun 2019
Countries are being told to urgently upgrade their road and rail networks in the wake of a report predicting billions of dollars a year in damage from natural disasters.
Aviation industry hears clamour for electric planes
17 Jun 2019
Aerospace companies gathering for the Paris air show this week are turning their thoughts to a future run on electricity rather than fossil fuels.
Florida clears path for autonomous vehicles
17 Jun 2019
Florida establishes a clear legal framework for self-driving cars to operate within the state.
Largest hybrid-electric aircraft takes flight
12 Jun 2019
The highest-capacity hybrid-electric aircraft has taken to the skies in California on its first test flight.
Tesla’s electric-car dream will soon come crashing down
30 May 2019
Tesla completely transformed the car landscape when it introduced the Roadster, pioneering the mass-market electric car. Now, it is doomed.
These strange beasts are our cars
17 May 2019
Widespread automation, electrification, and connectivity are set to revolutionise the car of the future.
What Daimler’s move means for carbon-neutral car industry
15 May 2019
Daimler, one of the world’s leading producers of premium cars and commercial vehicles, is engineering a new future for the sector with a bold new climate commitment.
Origami navy carries kids' SOS to the global shipping industry
9 May 2019
Schoolchildren launched a fleet of origami boats carrying messages about climate change to delegates at UN shipping talks in London.
Why people should come first in transport future
30 Apr 2019
People using public transport or walking or cycling should be given priority over cars and that might mean limiting traffic speeds to 30kmh, a new report says.
How will we cope with vehicles that do our driving for us?
30 Apr 2019
Billions of dollars are being poured into autonomous vehicle research - but not much thought is going into how humans will respond to the new-fangled transport.
Ford under criminal probe over emissions
29 Apr 2019
The US Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Ford’s emissions certification process.
Why flying taxis could be the way to go for long journeys
12 Apr 2019
Futuristic electric flying taxis like those seen in the movie Blade Runner could offer a more sustainable - and much faster - way to travel long distances.
Electric cars outsell the rest in Norway
3 Apr 2019
In a symbolic first, electric cars outsold fossil fuel-powered ones in Norway last month.
How the car industry hid the truth about diesel emissions
29 Mar 2019
The ‘Dieselgate’ scandal was suppressed for years – while we should have been driving electric cars.
Plant waste key in new aviation fuel
22 Mar 2019
Waste from plants and trees could soon be fueling jet planes.
CRUISE CONTROL: Bigger ships, bigger trouble
15 Mar 2019
As more gigantic cruise ships take to the high seas in the coming years, the industry says it intends to embrace low-carbon technologies and reduce its environmental impact.
Detroit gets new life as e-Motor City
12 Mar 2019
After years when Detroit was Ground Zero for scepticism about electric vehicles, the traditional auto industry’s hometown has become a hub of EV action.
High-flying airlines in short haul mode on gas emissions
7 Mar 2019
None of the world’s top 20 stock-listed air carriers has any plans in place to manage greenhouse gas emissions after 2025, according to a new report.
Electric cars star at Geneva motor show
7 Mar 2019
Electric cars have been the star of the glitzy Geneva motor show so far, as Honda unveiled its first all-electric effort, the E-Prototype, and Italian supercar maker Pininfarina lifted the lid on what it claims is the world's fastest electric car.
Global shipping inches forward on fuel rules
25 Feb 2019
The International Maritime Organisation inched forward last week on its promises to ban the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic and reduce black carbon emissions from ships.
Bank opens for e-projects money
21 Feb 2019
Applications for the latest round of Government funding for low-carbon transport projects are open.
Boeing's flying car lifts off in race to revolutionise travel
25 Jan 2019
Boeing says its flying car prototype hovered briefly in the air during an inaugural test flight, part of the race to change the face of the aerospace industry within the next decade.
Free public transport is great but it’s no silver bullet
25 Jan 2019
Luxembourg's recent announcement that all public transport in the country will be free from next year was received with astonishment.
By 2025, VW intends to be making million e-cars a year
11 Dec 2018
German auto giant Volkswagen is embarking on an electric spurt, pressing ahead with plans aimed at producing more than a million electric cars a year by 2025.
Airlines not using enough green planes
10 Dec 2018
Airlines are failing to take up the most efficient planes in sufficient numbers to make a significant dent in their carbon dioxide emissions, says a new study.
Maersk has idea to slash ship emissions
7 Dec 2018
The world's biggest shipping company, Maersk, wants to slash its carbon emissions to zero by developing a new kind of container ship to ply the oceans.
Polite applause for e-cars, but fans go ga-ga over Gladiator
4 Dec 2018
Car makers served notice at the Los Angeles motor show that they're going electric, and introduced a few new models to some applause. But the lustiest cheers were for something else: the massive new Jeep Gladiator.
Cruise ship captain fined for using dirty fuel
27 Nov 2018
The captain of a cruise ship found to be burning fuel with excessive sulphur levels has been fined €100,000 ($NZ166,000) in a Marseille court, the first such ruling in France.
Hydrogen is back in the energy picture
14 Nov 2018
As the price of renewable energy drops and storage technologies mature, hydrogen fuel is drawing fresh attention.
Air NZ paves way for electric aircraft
9 Nov 2018
Air New Zealand is preparing the way to operate hybrid planes on its domestic regional routes.
Govt backs electric trains on main trunk line
31 Oct 2018
Electric locomotives are to stay on the main trunk line.
Global effort to cut ship emissions stalls
30 Oct 2018
The International Maritime Organisation agreed this year to cut greenhouse gas emissions 50 per cent by 2050, but its members are struggling to agree on how to get there.
Dealers get the word on electric vehicles
26 Oct 2018
Need help deciding whether or not to buy an electric vehicle?
Dyson to take vacuum cleaners to the next level - electric cars
26 Oct 2018
British vacuum cleaner king James Dyson is building an automotive factory in Singapore where his company will assemble its first electric car.
Few of our councillors vote electric for mayoral motor
15 Oct 2018
The nation’s mayors might on the front line for dealing with the impacts of climate change, but that doesn’t mean they’re going carbon-neutral in their choice of mayoral car.
Scrapping grants for hybrid cars 'astounding'
15 Oct 2018
Incentives for consumers to buy hybrid and electric cars rather than diesel or petrol alternatives have been slashed by the UK government, adding thousands of pounds to the price of a new low-emission vehicle.
A million electric vehicles in the US. So what?
15 Oct 2018
Sometime this month, a million electric vehicles will have been sold in the United States. But does it matter?
Mazda picks up the pace in electric vehicles
4 Oct 2018
Mazda has laid out plans to revamp its product line-up, saying that all its vehicles will come with electric power by 2030.
VESPA VETO: Why Genoa is moving to ban its icon of cool
4 Oct 2018
Nothing symbolises Italian urban chic quite like the Vespa. But in the city that gave birth to them, the diehards suddenly have a fight on their hands because of pollution.
Uber puts $10m into sustainable transport
3 Oct 2018
Uber has announced a $10 million investment over the next three years in sustainable mobility.
The thing with electric cars is selling them
2 Oct 2018
Electric cars are poised to arrive en masse in European showrooms after years of hyped concept-car launches. The trick now is selling them at a profit.
Cargo ship pioneers passage through Arctic
1 Oct 2018
A Danish-flagged cargo ship has successfully passed through the Russian Arctic, in a trial voyage showing that melting sea ice could potentially open a new trade route from Europe to Asia.
'Back-to-basics' approach for councils ignores climate risk
Fri 11 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While ACT is standing local government candidates to oppose councils' attempts to manage emissions and ministers are calling for local authorities to 'get back to basics' - or even suggesting scrapping regional councils altogether - one expert says this narrative is putting communities at risk in the face of climate change.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
Thu 10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
Mon 7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
Emissions Trading Scheme needs deep reform - commissioner
Fri 11 Jul 2025
The government’s attempt to limit forestry conversions on rural land is unlikely to lead to meaningful change, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
Tue 8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
