New Zealand: Transport
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.
Tesla's China sales triple to more than $1billion
3 Mar 2017
Tesla’s revenue from China last year tripled to more than $1 billion, indicating better traction in the market Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has predicted could eventually become the company’s biggest.
Flight to greener aviation fuel has hit turbulence
1 Mar 2017
When it comes to reducing carbon emissions, one of the biggest hurdles is the world’s addiction to flying.
Liquid hydrogen could fuel future air travel
1 Mar 2017
Liquid hydrogen might be the solution to the thorny problem of sustainable air travel.
E-cars make up 37% of Norway vehicle sales
1 Mar 2017
Plug-in electric vehicles made up 37 per cent of Norway’s new-car sales last month.
Europe takes tough line on shipping emissions
27 Feb 2017
The European Parliament has lost patience with shipping industry inaction over climate change and has outlined plans to include vessels in its Emissions Trading System.
Six states propose new electric vehicle fees
27 Feb 2017
Six US states have proposed legislation this year that would add to the cost of owning an electric vehicle, worrying clean energy advocates who say owning emissions-free vehicles should be incentivised rather than taxed.
Railway stations across India to go solar
24 Feb 2017
India’s railways – the leading consumer of power – are to become the nation’s largest producer of solar energy.
Melbourne streets become living transport lab
23 Feb 2017
Integrated transport has long been the holy grail of transport engineering. Now, a project set up north of Melbourne’s CBD aims to make it a reality.
London to charge polluting vehicles
21 Feb 2017
Older, more polluting cars will have to pay an extra £10 ($NZ17) charge to drive in central London’s congestion charge zone, the city’s mayor has said.
Volvo aims at first all-electric vehicle in 2019
16 Feb 2017
Volvo has announced that its first all-electric vehicle is coming in 2019 with battery packs up to 100 kilowatt hours.
European trains go down renewable route
13 Feb 2017
Renewable energy is helping to power increasing numbers of the world’s road vehicles. Now several European countries are exploring the potential for using renewables to fuel their trains.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Funding first: Genesis reinforces the balance sheet
Thu 5 Mar 2026
Genesis Energy’s $400 million equity raise landed alongside a record first half, but the capital decision rather than the earnings headline is the more revealing signal about how the company intends to navigate the next phase of the build cycle.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Rule changes could reshape corporate emissions strategies
Fri 6 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand organisations may need to rethink how they manage and report electricity-related emissions as proposed global accounting changes take shape, according to a new report.
