New Zealand: Transport
Officials work to cut shocking vehicle emissions
18 Jul 2017
Officials will put a plan to cut New Zealand’s appalling transport emissions to the Government before the end of the year.
TOO HOT TO FLY: Increasing heat might ground planes
17 Jul 2017
As temperatures rise it may become too hot to fly, with aircraft likelier to be grounded, and more passengers more likely to lose their seats.
China and EU bolster greener global shipping
12 Jul 2017
The trillion-dollar global shipping industry might soon be forced to curb greenhouse gas emissions under new rules backed by the European Union and China.
E-cars selling, but not enough to make a difference
11 Jul 2017
New Zealanders are buying electric vehicles in “record” numbers, but they are not making a dent in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The world is on the brink of an electric-car revolution
10 Jul 2017
The internal combustion engine had a good run. It has helped propel cars — and thus humanity — forward for more than 100 years.
France to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040
7 Jul 2017
France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under the Paris climate accord.
Volvo to make only electric or hybrid cars from 2019
6 Jul 2017
All new cars launched by Volvo from 2019 onward will be partially or completely battery-powered, in what the company called a “historic end” to building models that only have an internal combustion engine.
Drivers top consumers of palm oil in Europe
6 Jul 2017
As millions of Europeans hit the road this month for a summer break, most won’t know they’re driving on palm oil.
LIFT-OFF: Hydrogen fuel reaches trial stage
3 Jul 2017
Using surplus electricity from renewables to make hydrogen fuel is starting a new era for all forms of heavy transport.
NZ team has high hopes for hybrid-electric aircraft
29 Jun 2017
Wellington researchers hope their technology will help to build the first hybrid-electric jet plane.
Panasonic joins push to put solar on car roofs
26 Jun 2017
Panasonic has started producing a 180-watt array of solar cells that can be put on the roof of a vehicle.
How KiwiRail decision bites into e-car benefits
19 Jun 2017
The climate benefits of half New Zealand’s electric car fleet will be wiped out by the scrapping of electric train engines in favour of diesels, says an international sustainable energy expert.
How do you price the impact of trucks on society?
19 Jun 2017
An EU trucking lobby group has published a report claiming that trucks are overpaying in taxes and charges compared to the impact of some of their external costs. The report raised a few eyebrows.
OFF THE RAILS: Treasury tells of train troubles
14 Jun 2017
Treasury told its ministers that KiwiRail’s decision to replace electric locomotives with diesels raised some significant matters, but it wasn’t given enough time to assess the situation.
Electric cars accelerate past 2m mark globally
8 Jun 2017
The number of electric cars in the world accelerated past the two million barrier last year, as prices fell and manufacturers launched new models.
California e-car sales booming
26 May 2017
Sales of electric vehicles in California increased 91 per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2016.
Transparency key to making aviation deal work
25 May 2017
As countries write the rules for airlines to offset their emissions growth, they must make sure there is no double-counting.
Go-slow shipping has problems, says minister
18 May 2017
Slow-steaming - the most effective method of cutting shipping emissions – will cause problems for New Zealand’s fresh food exporters, Cabinet has been told.
Diesel test failures account for 38,000 deaths a year
17 May 2017
The global human health impact of the diesel emissions scandal has been revealed by new research showing a minimum of 38,000 people a year die early due to the failure of diesel vehicles to meet official limits in real driving conditions.
UK's new pollution plan 'weak and inadequate'
8 May 2017
The government’s new plan to tackle the UK’s toxic air crisis is “much weaker than hoped for”, according to the environmental lawyers that forced ministers to deliver the proposals.
RIDE SHARE-PLUS: How to cut carbon emissions by 80%
5 May 2017
Layering autonomous and electric tech with ride-sharing could cut carbon emissions 80 per cent by 2050, says a new report.
UK to pay diesel car owners to scrap polluting vehicles
4 May 2017
Drivers of the most-polluting diesel cars in the UK will receive compensation if they trade in their vehicles for newer, cleaner models.
FACT CHECK: Are diesel cars really more polluting?
3 May 2017
The science now tells us that diesel vehicles cause more than four times the pollution than petrol cars.
UK announces gamechanger for cycling
1 May 2017
A new cycling and walking investment strategy is the first legislation of its kind to legally bind the UK government to long-term funding for cycling and walking provision.
Can we design a better fuel economy label?
27 Apr 2017
Governments around the world are looking for ways to increase consumers’ use of fuel-efficient vehicles, including information in the form of labels.
Toyota wins Green Car-of-the-Year Award ... again
21 Apr 2017
Toyota has again won the World Green Car-of-the-Year Award.
Climate change promises rough ride for airlines
19 Apr 2017
By TIM RADFORD | Keep that seat belt buckled − it could be a bumpy flight. New research predicts that severe clear air turbulence in the stratosphere could increase by 149 per cent because of climate change.
Boeing backs electric commuter jet
19 Apr 2017
Seattle startup Zunum Aero has received funding from Boeing HorizonX and JetBlue Technology Ventures toward making its dream of electrified air travel a reality.
In theory, Germans ready to ditch cars
18 Apr 2017
German motorists are ready, in theory at least, to abandon their cars in favour of buses, trains and bikes, according to a new study.
POWER PLAY: Tesla will have e-truck ready to roll this year
18 Apr 2017
Tesla has announced it will launch its first all-electric truck toward the end of this year.
Three ways to improve shipping’s footprint
11 Apr 2017
Do you wear runners, drink coffee or own a mobile phone? The chances are that these products cruised to you on a ship.
Tesla leaves 100 years of Ford car-marketing in its dust
6 Apr 2017
Elon Musk’s electric car company has been valued at $49 billion, leaving the 100-year-old Ford motor manufacturer lagging behind.
Europe expects diesels to disappear ... and quickly
5 Apr 2017
Diesel vehicles will disappear from roads much faster than expected, according to the European Union’s industry commissioner.
SUFFERING STUTTGART: Car's birthplace reaches a crossroads
3 Apr 2017
The city where the automobile was born has the dirtiest air in Germany – and a global drive to electric vehicles threatens its future.
Indian oil majors prepare for e-vehicle boom
31 Mar 2017
India’s oil majors are eyeing up the lithium-ion battery market in preparation for an electric-vehicle boom.
Why the bike is good for moving more than people
30 Mar 2017
Better infrastructure for transporting people by bike is great. But cycle freight could free up roads and transform cities and towns, too.
Flight-path changes could cut jets' effect on climate
27 Mar 2017
Small tweaks to flight paths could reduce the effects that aircraft have on climate by as much as 10 per cent, a new study shows.
CARBON FIBRE: The wonder material with a dirty secret
24 Mar 2017
Carbon fibre is increasingly celebrated as a wonder material for the clean economy.
London taxis go green with electric factory
24 Mar 2017
London’s iconic black cabs are going green with the opening of a £300 million electric vehicle manufacturing plant.
Companies queue to supply Air NZ with biofuels
17 Mar 2017
Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia say they now have a shortlist of companies to supply them with biofuels.
PLANES v POLLUTION: A new-look for Heathrow
17 Mar 2017
Britain and Europe’s largest airport is not the most obvious target for an eco-friendly rebranding. Yet Heathrow Airport recently unveiled a new sustainability strategy.
Biofuels mix could see end of chemtrails in the sky
16 Mar 2017
Mixing biofuels into aviation gas cuts chemtrails, new research shows.
Government offers new money for electric cars
15 Mar 2017
The second round of Government funding for projects to get more electric vehicles on New Zealand’s roads opens today.
SPINNING SAILS: Ancient idea to be given a new airing
15 Mar 2017
An ocean-going tanker is to be fitted with a type of “spinning sail” invented almost a century ago in a step that could lead to more environmentally friendly tankers worldwide.
Science is getting closer to sun-powered cars
13 Mar 2017
Scientists are developing a practical method to convert water and sunshine into fuel — a key step in someday powering cars with the sun.
CRUISE CONTROL: Choppy seas for sustainable ocean travel
10 Mar 2017
Not many of the 25 million people enjoying the sea breeze on a cruise ship this year are likely to think about the air pollutants being emitted from the vessel.
Aviation industry acts to reduce aircraft emissions
7 Mar 2017
The aviation industry is the first sector to introduce a global design standard on emissions.
Auckland welcomes e-cars to special lanes
6 Mar 2017
From today, electric vehicles are allowed in priority lanes on Auckland’s roads – but only for two weeks.
Beijing looks to replace entire taxi fleet with electric vehicles
6 Mar 2017
Beijing officials have hatched plans to replace all of the city's 70,000 gas-powered taxicabs with electric vehicles to try to improve the China capital's notorious pollution issues.
KiwiRail puts $4.5b tag on electrifying network
3 Mar 2017
Electrifying the entire North Island rail network would cost more than $4.5 billion, says KiwiRail.
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.
