The case for overhead charging of EVs
23 Jun 2016
IDTechEx chair Dr Peter Harrop makes a case for overhead charging for electric vehicles:
The Tesla 3 gets nearly double the range of the Nissan Leaf by using nearly double the amount of battery, but engineers are using a multitude of work rounds to do better: aerodynamics, lightweighting, even including structural electronics where dumb structure is replaced by supercapacitors or solid state batteries.
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Bleak future for skifields due to climate change - expert
Mon 8 Sep 2025
Winter snowfall was well below average for much of the country, with multiple skifields remaining closed due to a lack of snow, offering a glimpse into a "dire" future for snowsports in New Zealand, according to an expert.
Kawerau's new hope: Plan to replace coal with pine ramps up
Mon 8 Sep 2025
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Construction on a $300 million wood pellet plant in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is expected to start next month, with hopes it could cut the use of coal in New Zealand.
Corporate pollution and biodiversity conservation don't mix
Mon 8 Sep 2025
While companies near newly created protected areas cut their toxic emissions, they do so by cutting jobs and production rather than cleaning up their act, according to new research.
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
Fri 5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
Growth, energy and climate in focus at Trans-Tasman bilateral talks
Fri 5 Sep 2025
Trans-Tasman climate cooperation was one of the themes at the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, with senior government officials and business leaders from both sides of the ditch meeting in Canberra this week.
New report calls for Cabinet overhaul
Fri 5 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A new report from The New Zealand Initiative argues that New Zealand’s “sprawling” Cabinet structure fragments climate responsibility and slows solutions, and proposes consolidating climate, environment and conservation portfolios.
Media round-up
Fri 5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
Thu 4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
XRB consults on delaying climate reporting requirements
Thu 4 Sep 2025
The External Reporting Board is proposing a further two years relief for companies to adopt anticipated financial impacts reporting and scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reporting and assurance.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
Wed 3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
