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And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NZ’S NEWS SOURCE FOR ELECTRIC, INTELLIGENT AND AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATION
                  MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF EVTALK.CO.NZ – VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 5 | JANUARY 2019

And the winner is …                                                                          EVs close in
EVtalk EV of the Year awards                                                                 on 12,000
W
           hile it would be nice to be the     into the hands of New Zealand drivers,

                                                                                             E
           first to hand one over, electric    particularly the hands of influential fleet           V registrations are expected to
           vehicles are no strangers to        customers. The Ioniq is priced and has a              hit 12,000 this month.
awards in New Zealand. In 2015 the             range that makes it well suited to being a               Ministry of Transport
BMW took out the New Zealand Car of            pool car, and has sold in solid numbers.      vehicle registration figures for
the Year, and since then battery elec-             While it is arguable that they need       2018 released on January 7 show
trics and plug-in hybrids have begun to        it, most consumers want more range.           EV numbers fell just 252 shy of the
collect a solid collection of silverware.      Buyers also love SUVs, and Hyundai            number at the end of last year.
    The team behind EVtalk decided             combined both of these things into the            A total 11,748 EVs were recorded
we would throw our opinion into the            Hyundai Kona.                                 for 2018.
mix as well. We’ve managed to get our                                                            December EV registrations were
hands on pretty much all of the elec-                                                        371 up on November, continuing
tric cars launched in New Zealand over                                                       a slight slow-down in monthly in-
the last year, and a few imports that                                                        creases compared with a 640 spurt
have yet to receive an official arrival.                                                     from September to October.
    And all the arrivals - and a few of                                                          This spurt is attributed in part to
the existing cars that were already here                                                     rising fuel costs, which have since
and received updates were impressive.                                                        fallen.
New Zealand is finally beginning to get                                                          EV dealers such as Henry
a reasonable range of electric vehicles,                                                     Schmidt of Autolink Cars in Auck-
though 2019 should be even better.               While it may not be an entirely             land expect that fuel prices have
There will be new offerings from Audi,         complete comparison, we like to break         had much to do with the surge
Jaguar, Nissan and more. 2020 is likely        down electric car pricing to kWh of           in EV interest in September and
to feature even more new models.                         battery capacity, arguably as       October, along with the reduced
    So which cars did we pick as                         this also indicates how much        interest since following fuel costs
the best of 2018?                                        range you are getting for your      in Auckland even going under $2 a
                                                         buck.                               litre for 91-octane.
EVtalk Electric Vehicle of the Year                         A used import generation             Schmidt expects EV interest will
Winner: Hyundai Kona EV                                  two Leaf runs at under $1000        climb again if fuel prices return to
                                                         a kWh. In the new vehicle           higher levels as expected.
  Hyundai New Zealand has put                            market, the numbers are –               Genuine Vehicle Group gen-
much effort to get electric vehicles                                 Continued on page 10    eral manager Hayden Johnston
                                                                                             says December was a little down
      INSIDE                                                                                 on EVs compared with December
     Happy EV New Year                               3                                       2017, although strong interest was
     Intelligent mobility at CES                   4&5                                       recorded for used internal combus-
     Big savings in Ioniq                            8                                       tion engine (ICE) vehicles.
     Leaf English conversions                       11                 3               8                         Continued on page 25

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And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
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2 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

Electric mobility ramping
up this year
T
       he Ion Age is upon us with EVs         on our roads and moves closer                           some supply constraints here
       now inevitable and the future          to the goal of 64,000 EVs by the                        but believes this will balance out
       looking battery powered.               end of 2021.                                            eventually.
    “We’re moving from EVs being a               “There will be pockets of push                          Overseas media also forecasts
niche for EVangelists to their inevitabili-   back based on ignorance or lack                         greater EV uptake globally and
ty,” says David Vinsen, who is in an ideal    of understanding,” Vinsen says,                         the likelihood of services such as
position to see New Zealand’s transport       although he expects more peo-         David Vinsen.     rideshare and advances in auton-
trends.                                       ple will show interest in EVs.                          omous vehicles (AVs) meaning
    The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry          Improving EV infrastructure, more           fewer people will privately own vehicles.
Association (VIA) chief executive is also     training and greater understanding of             Fisker Automotive electric car maker
Intelligent Transport Systems New Zea-        the benefits EVs bring will continue,          founder Henrik Fisker told The Guard-
land (ITS NZ) chairman and a member           Vinsen believes.                               ian that the second generation of
of the Government’s Electric Vehicle             “Other things will come into play too, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is just
Programme Leadership Group.                   such as mobility as a service (MaaS –          starting with affordability and good
                                              such as ride sharing) which is accelerat- range the main features.
                                              ing the change.                                     “I see the market starting to boom
                                                 “There will be a lot more all things        around 2020 or 2021, as there is more
                                              electric rather than just privately owned      choice [of models],” Fisker says.
                                              EVs.”                                             He also considers ultrafast charging
                                                 Electric modes of transport like e-         as vital to helping EVs go mainstream,
                                              scooters, e-bikes, Segways and even            some new chargers already able to offer
                                              e-skateboards are changing personal            EV charging within minutes.
                                              mobility, Vinsen says.                                                   Continued on page 12
                                                 “EVs are a subset of the overall
Jaguar’s I-Pace.                              changes in transport modes.
                                                 “I think that Lime electric scooter
   In such roles he has an overview of        hire has made it socially acceptable for
how the different parts work together         adults to ride scooters, for instance,” he
on connected e-mobility so can see the        says, using the service himself.
overall trends.                                  Vinsen says a wider variety of EVs
   Vinsen says EVs in New Zealand will        are coming – many with more options,
see “more of the same but ramping             longer range and cheaper, although
up” with increased public awareness           not necessarily all will make it to New
around them.                                  Zealand. “We’re too small a market, but
   Incentives for EV uptake are also ex-      they will come inevitably.”
pected to come soon from the Govern-             As global markets gobble up the EVs Lime’s electric scooters have opened the door to
ment as the country nears 12,000 EVs          becoming available, Vinsen expects            other e-mobility forms.

                                                              —
                                                              Smarter Mobility
                                                              For transport of the future,
                                                              today

                                                              www.abb.com/evcharging

                                                                                            EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 3
And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

Intelligent mobility a key
feature of CES 2019
A
        “walking car” and a
        driverless “Urbanetic” –
        both with interchange-
able bodies - an electric SUV
with a steering wheel screen,
an autonomous motorcycle,
an air taxi, 5G and a massive
amount of tech were features
of the Consumer Electronics
Show (CES) 2019.
   The event in Las Vegas
from January 8-11 has be-
come the first major car show
of the year, with automakers,
start-ups and communica-
tions specialists showing
what’s coming for autono-
mous and connected vehicles
especially.
   It attracts a huge global au-
dience and displays hundreds
of products, including a grow- The Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic.
ing array of robots.                      netic”, a Hyundai all-terrain vehicle with   difficult terrain – making it suitable as
   The road to autonomy was amply         robotic legs and wheels for feet, and        a first responder vehicle in a disaster
demonstrated, with associated tech not    self-driving cars from Russia’s Yandex.      and also able to cater for people with
just around helping the vehicle self-        The Urbanetic, which provided rides       impaired mobility.
drive but showing what can be available at the show, and Hyundai’s walking car             Toyota revealed its new automated
on board for humans once they no          Elevate both have bodies which can           driving test vehicle, the Tri-P4, to help
longer have to focus on the road.         be changed to suit the purpose. The          with its full autonomy “chauffer” driving
   Concept cars from automakers in-       Elevate has a variety of travel modes        technology.
cluded Mercedes-Benz’s “Vision Urba-      such as reptile and mammalian to cover           Byton showcased the production
                                                                                               dashboard for its upcoming M-
 Hyundai’s “ultimate mobility vehicle”.
                                                                                               Byte electric SUV featuring a 48-
                                                                                               inch pillar-to-pillar display and a
                                                                                               steering wheel mounted screen.
                                                                                                   WayRay demonstrated its
                                                                                               holographic AR head-up display
                                                                                               technology, which overlays data
                                                                                               about the road ahead relative to
                                                                                               the driver’s view. This will debut
                                                                                               when the Genesis G80 luxury
                                                                                               sedan becomes available in 2020.
                                                                                                   Bell Aviation showed its Nexus
                                                                                               flying taxi concept, while Audi and
                                                                                               Disney, Intel and WB revealed
                                                                                               plans to bring VR games and
                                                                                               movies into vehicles and Samsung
                                                                                               illustrated what it plans to get on
                                                                                               board too.
                                                                                                   BMW displayed a riderless
                                                                                               motorcycle.
                                                                                                               Continued on page 5

4 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

Continued from page 4                       more could be moved
   Nissan’s contributions included the      in future.
Leaf e+ with more power and greater             The tech show also
range, while trucking and shipping          featured the fifth-gen-
agencies and start-ups revealed their       eration cellular wireless
plans for future transportation and tech.   tech 5G that’s expected
   One start-up, Aeva condenses many        to play a major role in
sensors into one to reduce complexity       smart cities and trans-
and cost in AVs.                            port from this year.
   Aptiv worked with Lyft to provide AV         Smart home technol-
rides to CES visitors, and Panasonic’s      ogy was available, par-    Byton’s M-Byte electric SUV.
autonomous Space Ce Torta concept           ticularly from Google
showed how cargo, passengers and            which had Interpreter, a new feature for Google Smart Displays and Google As-
Bell Nexus air taxi.
                                                                                           sistant which can translate for speakers
                                                                                           of 27 different languages via onscreen
                                                                                           text as well as voice. Another aspect is
                                                                                           Google Assistant Connect.
                                                                                               Amazon’s stand included Alexa’s ex-
                                                                                           pansion into categories outside of the
                                                                                           home, particularly through Echo Auto.
                                                                                               A host of other tech and gadgetry
                                                                                           was offered at CES 2019, but the em-
                                                                                           phasis was heavily on the smart stuff
                                                                                           for AVs and other vehicles.
                                                                                               It’s expected EVs, AVs and associated
                                                                                           tech will have an even bigger role in
                                                                                           next year’s show.

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And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

Mevo is going places –
fast
S
       trong growth in climate-positive           Zydervelt reckons                                     the hard work the Mevo
       car-share company Mevo during          Mevo’s fleet has now                                      team and board has put in,
       the past year looks set to continue.   driven more than the                                      he says.
    Mevo chief executive officer and co-      equivalent of three times                                     “And it shows we have
founder Erik Zydervelt says 2019 will         around the world. That                                    the product right.”
be “a big year for us” with the Auckland      will increase substan-                                        Zydervelt says the aim
roll-out and more.                            tially as Mevo expands                                    remains to have Mevo in
    He expects the trends of the past         throughout New Zealand                                    five major cities in New
year to continue, where Wellington-           and into other countries                                  Zealand and Australia dur-
based Mevo saw expansion of its               like Australia.                                           ing the next five years with
plug-in hybrid Audi A3 fleet to meet an           “We’re excited about                                  more than 2000 cars.
increase in overall monthly trips (150%)      the number of electric                                        The free-floating scheme
and a growth in monthly new member-           vehicles coming on line in Erik Zydervelt.                ensures members can be
ships (120%).                                 the next couple of years,” he says.          picked up and dropped off without
    “There’s still lots of work to do, but        “We look forward to going totally        having to worry about parking and as-
it’s looking very positive,” Zydervelt        electric as soon as we can, while still      sociated fees, with thousands of parks
says of 2019.                                 offering accessibility to shared vehicles    in Wellington (including the airport) able
    The free-floating car share scheme        for all.”                                    to be used by Mevo at any time.
has enabled customer businesses to                Many big organisations are com-             “I feel we’re close to a tipping point
heavily reduce their business spend           ing to understand what the car-share         where friends of friends of people that
and their fleets. “On top of that we’ve       company does and the benefits it brings      know us are starting to sell their ICE
helped them meet their sustainability         for staff and the environment, Zydervelt     vehicles and choosing to use our new
goals because we’re offsetting carbon         says.                                        PHEVs,” Zydervelt says.
emissions at 120% with certified carbon           “They’re starting to ramp up Mevo           “Change is getting faster, and a lot of
credits.”                                     use a lot, so it will be a matter of keep-   the hard work firms like us put in over
    “Sustainability” will be a key word in    ing up.”                                     the past two years is starting to bear
the coming year as more businesses re-            Mevo customers pay only for the          fruit.”
act to the United Nations’ Intergovern-       time they use a car, with the company           Maryon Wils has recently been ap-
mental Panel on Climate Change report         covering the costs and headaches of          pointed corporate partnerships head
warning that the world has just 12 years      owning one.                                  with Mevo expanding its business travel
to limit climate change catastrophe,              Cars, particularly new EVs, are ex-      division.
Zydervelt believes.                           pensive to buy and often sit idle much          The car-share has signed more than
    “We are helping businesses reduce         of the time under the traditional owner-     30 companies and government agen-
one of their biggest emission areas –         ship model.                                  cies to support business travel for their
transport,” he says.                              Zydervelt says Mevo will continue        employees. Some of these include
    “Members driving every kilometre in       refining its processes to deliver the best   Meridian Energy, Consumer NZ, and Z
our cars are leaving the climate better       service possible.                            Energy.
than when they started.”                          The past year’s progress illustrates        Consumer NZ has brought Mevo on
                                                                                           for its 30 full-time Wellington staff.
                                                                                              “After moving our office to the mid-
                                                                                           dle of town recently, we made the deci-
                                                                                           sion to axe our company vehicle in fa-
                                                                                           vour of Mevo, which made more sense
                                                                                           logistically and financially,” Consumer
                                                                                           NZ testing head Paul Smith says.
                                                                                              For Z Energy, the car-share fits well
                                                                                           with the company’s sustainability ethos.
                                                                                              “We’ve been a huge supporter of
                                                                                           Mevo from the start, but the best en-
                                                                                           dorsement always comes from using
                                                                                           and appreciating the product itself,”
                                                                                           Z Energy chief executive officer Mike
                                                                                           Bennetts says.

6 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

Kiwi-built EV remembered
                                                                  Officials invited to a meeting about EVs check out the NEEV truck in January 1980.

A
      photo Kay Edgecumbe found                 the ground up” and had worked
      recalled his involvement in the           three days non-stop (“with coffee
      production of the first of 10 Natural     in-between”) to get the truck from
Energy Electric Vehicles (NEEV) trucks.         Christchurch to Wellington to display
   He was one of two Christchurch               on the capital’s wharf.
engineers to develop the NEEV in 1980-              “At 8.30am we got the batter-
81, the light truck also able to be used        ies from Exide (10 6-volt lead acid
as a utility van.                               120amp/h), pushed the truck onto a
                                                              trailer and took it to the
                                                              wharf and at 9.30am this One of the NEEV’s motors.
                                                              pic (with officials) was
                                                              taken.”                               So New Zealand probably missed a
                                                                 The then energy minis-         chance to be ahead of the rest of the
                                                              ter (possibly Merv Wel-           world in electric truck and van develop-
                                                              lington) asked to go for a        ment.
                                                              ride, but the electric truck          Meanwhile, one of the NEEVs is in
                                                              had never been driven and Christchurch’s Yaldhurst Museum of
                                                              the batteries only installed      Transport and Science, another is in
                                                              an hour earlier.                  a Nelson collection and a third is in a
                                                                 “Well, with a very deep        museum in England.
                                                              breath and a prayer I said
 The 1980s two-seater NEEV car somewhat resembles a modern    OK,” Edgecumbe recalls.
 Tesla Model X.                                               “He hopped in and I got
                                                              in the driver’s seat,
   Posting the photo on the NZ EV               turned the key and the bloody
Owners Facebook page on January 14,             truck worked first pop – whew!”
Edgecumbe – now 80 - says it took                   The NEEV had a 24-volt
him and Colin Horsfall five weeks and           pump motor with two rear-
three days to produce a pre-production          wheel drive motors, could
prototype EV, which he says could be            reach about 80km/h and had
considered an unofficial world record.          around an 80km range.
   That prototype was a two-seater                  It was capable of carrying
car with gull wings similar to the Tesla        two people plus about 400kg
Model X.                                        cargo. The charger was locally
   “We had to hide it as we knew it was         designed and made.
too advanced for the day and went for               The Government of the time
the truck,” Edgecumbe says.                     did not help with the project         Kay Edgecumbe, left, Colin Horsfall and manager Clem
   They designed the truck “from                and the NEEV “died” in 1982.          Hibbot with the NEEV truck.

                                                                                                EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 7
And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

Dealership encounter converts
insurance assessor to electric
I
    nsurance assessor Andy Downer is          vehicle.
    saving thousands of dollars each year         “It was a bit of an impulse buy. I didn’t
    after switching to a Hyundai Ioniq.       really research them. I had heard about
    His job assessing damage to proper-       Nissan Leafs, but they are hideous.
ties takes him as far north as Silverdale         “We talked about the range and they
and out to Waikato and the Coroman-           said it was about 200km, but I have had
del – a fair distance for the Kawakawa        300km out of it. They’re quite conserva-
Bay resident.                                 tive with what they set.
    “Before the Ioniq, I was in a Santa Fe        “It just depends where I’m going and
turbo,” he says.                              how fast I’m going.”
    “I was doing between $800 and $900            Downer says if he charges the Ioniq
worth of diesel a month, including road       up to 90%, it will have 240km of range.         Andy Downer with his Hyundai Ioniq

user charges.                                     “It’s basing that on the previous              “Every morning I get a fully charged
    “When I was in a petrol vehicle, it was   driver. When I first bought it, I would say     car – that’s with a 32-amp plug.”
between $900 and $1000 per month.             I got 200km at 100%. That was before I             If he does have to use public charg-
Going into a diesel dropped it a bit.         had any history.                                ing stations, his favourites are Takanini,
    “Now I’ve gone electric, I calculated         “If you chuck on the air-conditioning       Auckland Airport and Greenlane.
if it was empty, it might take $5 to          it takes off 20km straight away.”                  “They’re convenient spots. If I do
charge and it’s never empty. It’s almost          So far, Downer has put about                have to use them, I just check some
paying for itself, that car.”                 40,000km on the car.                            emails.
    Downer admits he’s a Hyundai fan,             “Living out in Kawakawa Bay, it’s              “There’s stacks of space and I haven’t
estimating the Ioniq is his “sixth or sev-    60km to the motorway. I’ve only run             really noticed a drop in performance if I
enth” vehicle from the marque.                out of juice once.”                             have four people in the car.”
    So, it’s not a surprise he came across        Luckily, he managed to sneak home              However, despite loving what the
the Ioniq on a visit to his local dealer-     with some downhill regeneration and             Ioniq can do, Downer says he still has
ship.                                         a limited amount of power in “turtle            a soft spot for internal combustion
    “I was taking my car in for a service,    mode”.                                          engines.
saw the Ioniq and thought ‘that’s cool.’”         “I cover right the way up to Silverd-          “Because petrol is an addiction, I’ve
    The next thing Downer knew, he            ale, and down through the Waikato and           got a motorbike. There’s my petrol
traded in his Santa Fe for the electric       Coromandel.                                     headedness.”

EVs Enhanced opens service centre
A
       n EVs Enhanced Service Centre          more than 10 years.                                    time”.
       has opened in Christchurch, with           They will continue to oc-                             Some staff already drive EVs
       a focus on providing repairs, ser-     casionally work on internal                            themselves and Larason says he
vicing and improvements on EVs.               combustion engine (ICE)                                wouldn’t be surprised if all have
   Electrical engineer Walter Larason         vehicles belonging to existing                         them by the end of this year “espe-
says his business EVs Enhanced has            long-term customers. How-                              cially as we offer free charging for
grown to the extent that a move to            ever, once that vehicle is sold                        them at work”.
establishing a full service centre has        their support for it will stop,                           While the service centre already
been inevitable.                              as they will deal solely with     Walter Larason.      has one charger, Larason says four
   Officially opened on January 14, the       EVs for any new customers.                             carparks are being set up to have AC
service centre at 14 Mowbray Street in            Larason says that the staff are ready        charging available for staff and customers.
Waltham has three workshop staff in           for the change too and were heavily                 Larason and EVs Enhanced are already
addition to Larason who will continue         involved in the decision making.                 well known in New Zealand’s EV world
to assist with the more complex repairs.          All are experienced in the automotive for their work generally on used imports,
   The EVs Enhanced Service Centre            industry and have completed EV train-            including the popular Nissan Leaf.
has grown out of a highly-specialised         ing courses – “although there’s nothing             Larason often provides advice and
automotive business which has been            like practical experience with EVs which         expertise to other EV groups like the
operating out of the same premises for        they have been building on for some                                       Continued on page 22

8 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

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And the winner is EVtalk EV of the Year awards While it would be nice to be
NEWSTALK

And the winner is …
EVtalk EV of the Year awards
Continued from page 1                            scheme, which helped make it the coun-         van competitors are likely to arrive.
on the whole – a little higher. A ZE40           try’s cheapest new plug-in at $48,490.             The model also serves as the base for
Renault Zoe runs at over $1700 a kWh,                                                           Tourism Holdings Limited’s electric mo-
a Tesla Model S 75D $1733, a BMW i3                                                             torhome project, and an EV80 truck is
runs at $2200. Even a parallel imported                                                         now working as a maintenance vehicle
new-generation Leaf comes in at $1375.                                                          for the Manapouri Power scheme.
     The new Hyundai Kona Electric with                                                             The 10.4 cubic metre cargo van can
a 64kWh battery resets the bar at $1125.                                                        carry up to the 1000kg payload (down
     “Does that mean it is not expensive,                                                       400kg on the diesel version) – fitting up
and that $73,990 – or $79,990 for the Elite                                                     to three pallets. LDVs claim the high-
model Hyundai let EVtalk test for a week                                                        efficiency lithium iron phosphate battery
– is a fair price for a small SUV without                                                       can be fully charged in two hours, giving it
all-wheel drive?” we said in our review.                                                        a 150km to 180km range with about half
     “Heck no, but the progress this model                                                      the maximum payload. We tested that and
makes in bringing down the actual cost               An 8.8kW battery gives it a range of       agreed it is entirely possible.
for electric vehicle technology is huge.”        around 63km, though our testing would
     The Kona has quickly become the top-        suggest that is a little optimistic. Of-
selling electric vehicle in the country and      ficial fuel consumption is just 1 litre per
is likely to stay there for some time.           100km - though again that needs to be
                                                 in ideal conditions.
Honourable mentions:                                 “All-in-all, a great vehicle for getting
    Tesla Model X - The X is not really          around inexpensively.
in the running this year as it was not
launched or significantly updated, but we        Honourable mentions:
drove it a lot and fell in love with the huge       Volvo XC60 T8 - The XC60 is a
beast. It is comfortable, performs like it       brilliant vehicle in its own right, and in
shouldn’t and is a great road trip wagon.        plug-in form, it has the added element            “We think the EV80 steers and rides
    BMW i3 - We gave the base model              of being able to cruise along in electric-     better than the rest of the LDV range.
version with the new 94Ah battery a go.          only mode or blast along at sports car         The electric power steering feels solid
This plastic-fantastic is still futuristic and   pace using the petrol engine as well.          and responsive enough for round town
charming to drive, and BMW’s habit of               Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV - It may          work,” we noted in our review.
continually upgrading battery size and           be getting long in the tooth, but slight          “LDV has been marketing the EV80
range without lifting the price should be        upgrades, a range boost and a price cut        to customers with between 150km and
lauded.                                          mean this is still a very appealing buy for    180km possible, and they are on the
                                                 Kiwi families.                                 money. A little more caution and I see
                        EVtalk Plug-in                                                                 200km as an absolute possibility.”
                        Hybrid of the Year       EVtalk Commercial EV of
                        Winner: Prius Prime      the Year                                               Honourable mentions:
                                                 Winner: LDV EV80                                            Renault Kangoo - It has been
                          While purists may                                                             around a few years, but the Re-
                       not be happy, plug-          If you want to cut the                              nault Kangoo has seen a boost in
                       in hybrids continue       country’s carbon budget,                               the last 12 months with the arrival
                       to play the key role      freight and passenger trans-                           of the ZE40 model with a bigger
                       of a stepping stone       port are an area that cannot                           battery and a longer range. The
                       to full electrics -       be ignored. Working vans                               Renault is basic, but a very clever
                       particularly for fleet    and trucks spend all day on                            little van.
                       businesses.               the road, so replacing one                                  Nissan e-NV200 - The import-
    Range anxiety is less of an issue, and       with an electric model can                             only Nissan is so popular globally
with smaller batteries, initial investment       make a big difference.                         they have become tricky for importers to
is down as well.                                    While Renault was first to mar-             get their hands on. They are easy to drive,
    Our winner this year is the Toyota Prius     ket with an electric van here with the         and while a little short on range this is
Prime. While the market leader has been          Kangoo, the Chinese-made LDV EV80              being solved with the availability of a new
selling imported Prius plug-ins for some         landed late in 2018 to many preorders.         40kWh battery pack.
time, this was its first offering of a new       Both freight and passenger versions               The EVtalk EV of the Year awards are
car with a plug. It launched around the          have already hit the road, a year or           sponsored by TransNet NZ.
same time as its new drive-away pricing          more ahead of when European large-

10 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
NEWSTALK

Japanese to English
translations easily
available now
T
        he Nissan Leaf is New Zealand’s
        biggest selling EV and the most
        popular of the EV used imports
from Japan, but its head units are in
Japanese - which presents a little dif-
ficulty.
   Leaf owners have requested an
English language version, and thanks to
some local engineering brilliance and
some logistical support it can now be
achieved.
   OEM Audio in Christchurch is run-
ning the logistics for the conversion
done by Kiwi company Navi-Solutions.
   This partnership makes sense with
OEM Audio controlling the sales, mar-
keting, logistics and payments chan-           David Lees.
nel and Navi-Solutions responsible for
the very clever electronics, OEM Audio         there’s no need for a band expander,          conversion pioneered by Christchurch-
manager Paul O’Connor says.                    O’Connor says.                                based Walter Larason at EVs Enhanced,
   With OEM Audio’s well-known EV                 Even the labels to replace the Japa-       provides complete English language
charging systems, it made sense for            nese characters on the side controls of       conversion for the interior of the JDM
Navi-Solutions to focus on what they           the audio are available now.                  Nissan Leafs.
excel at, which is the development of             Also, the voice control has been              The availability of the English lan-
these English language sys-                         adapted into English for phone           guage owner’s manuals from Japanese
tems, he says.                                      commands and so on, plus the             Solutions makes them completely in
   O’Connor says the work                           time zones are now all available for     English.
done by Navi-Solutions is a                         New Zealand and Australia.                  One of the first dealers to offer this
big undertaking and is some-                            O’Connor says the first 50 units     has been Hayden Johnston, managing
thing that no one else in the                       have now been done and the feed-         director of the Genuine Vehicle Group
world has achieved at this                          back is overwhelmingly positive.         (which includes GVI Electric).
level.                                                  “We don’t think it is something         “We expect this to be a very popular
   “The EV sales network and                        that needs to be done to the car         option and to open the door to even
                                  Paul O’Connor.
EV owners are fortunate to                          before sale, but with the right EV       more people joining the EV life,” John-
have these guys involved.”                          dealers this can be upsold to every      ston says.
   The conversion is at this                           customer and can provide an              For Auckland retail customers, David
stage available for the earlier                        opportunity to enhance the sale       Lees at Volt Vehicles is available for
Carwings units, which is                               for the customer and the dealer       sales.
vehicles produced from 2011                            as well,” he says.                       “We have all become very familiar
to November 2015.                                          “Dealers are encouraged to        with using Google translate on our
   It is a full English transla-                       call OEM Audio directly for bulk      phones, but it’s not the best thing to
tion with all screens, timers                          rates.“                               do when driving the Leaf,” Volt Vehicles
and side buttons now                                       Navigation is a work in pro-      director Lees says.
working. The FM tuner is                               gress with OEM Audio and Navi-           “This conversion is done on an
updated with local frequen- Hayden Johnston.           Solutions confident of a solution     exchange basis so nothing is thrown
cies on screen and the cor-                            being available in the future.        away in landfill.”
rect display shown. With the correct              This conversion, coupled with the
FM tuner, reception is outstanding and         now well-known instrument cluster

                                                                                           EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 11
NEWSTALK

Genesis staff support EV uptake
E
       nergy company Genesis is               teries. Encouragingly, a
       working to transition all its light    large number of people
       vehicles to electric or hybrid by      listing range or cost as
2020 and its heavy vehicles by 2025.          an issue were hopeful of
   As Genesis is aware that corporates        this improving in future.
need to lead the EV switch, it also is en-        Staff were also asked
couraging staff to take the step to EVs so    how Genesis could help
asked them about their thoughts.              them make owning or
   About 10% of Genesis staff surveyed        purchasing an EV easier.
own an EV (5.8%) or a hybrid (4.2%) –             Unsurprisingly, ways
but that number jumps significantly           to reduce the costs –
when asked about future car purchases.        like interest free loans,     Genesis has a staff discount for Hyundai Konas and
   Only 15% definitively rule out owning      subsidies and discounts Ioniqs.
an EV as their next car, with 16% saying      - were top of the list.
their next car will be an EV and 66%              Providing discount-                           is that people want to do the right thing
saying it might be.                           ed access to ex-lease vehicles was also           – but need the road to be smoothed
   In terms of timeframes, 15% expect         a common theme.                                   slightly for them, especially from a cost
to own an EV in the next two years and            Many mentioned the free charging              and range perspective,” she says.
45% in the next five years.                   that Genesis makes available to staff, as             “We’re currently helping with our free
   Genesis also asked staff what the          well as the discounts negotiated with             staff charging and offering discounts to
main barriers were to owning an EV.           some EV suppliers, and encouraged                 staff on certain vehicles, but we will be
   The two top responses were range           more of this type of initiative.                  seriously looking at some of the great
and cost.                                         The ability to borrow an EV to test it        suggestions our people have made
   Many also mentioned a lack of              out for a day or a weekend was some-              about how we can remove barriers.”
charging infrastructure, the length of        thing many thought would help, along                  Genesis has recently retired six ve-
time taken to charge, and the chal-           with information sharing sessions when            hicles from its pool car fleet in Hamil-
lenges of long car journeys.                  EV owners can share their experiences             ton, replacing them with two Hyundai
   From a cost perspective a large            and dispel some of the myths.                     Konas, three Hyundai Ioniqs and a
number of respondents expressed                   Genesis people and culture executive Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
concern about the lack of affordable          general manager Nicola Richardson                     The Greenlane office has had a Kona
EV options. Many also mentioned               is encouraged by the support for EVs              added to its pool car fleet.
the lack of EV options to suit larger         within the company and is committed                   Genesis has also negotiated a staff
families.                                     to making it easier for staff and custom- discount with Hyundai for staff pur-
   Several also expressed concerns            ers to own EVs.                                   chasing an Ioniq or a Kona.
about the environmental impact of bat-            “What comes through in these results

Electric mobility ramping up this year
Continued from page 3                         has begun positively for the group             notes sales in both surged when fuel
    EV growth isn’t just limited to cars      (which includes GVI Electric) after a          prices increased last year to around
with demand for electric buses and            challenging past year which included           $2.50 a litre.
trucks rapidly increasing, especially as      the stink bug issue and associated                Car share programmes like the all-
cities world-wide move towards reduc-         disruptions.                                   electric Yoogo Share and PHEV-based
ing emissions to help combat climate             He foresees more challenges this year       Mevo have expansion in mind this year,
change and improve public health.             with margins being squeeze and smaller         while e-bike and e-scooter sales remain
    London already has a growing num-         dealers in the regions struggling to com-      buoyant.
ber of electric buses, including some         pete with volume operations.                      For EVs in 2019, New Zealand gets
hydrogen powered ones.                           “It will also be interesting to see         the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace, the new
    Electric aircraft and electric ferries    what this government does around EV            Nissan Leaf, the Audi e-tron, probably
are already under development, with           subsidies and putting further limitations      the Mercedes-Benz EQC, the Kia Nero
e-ferries especially expected to be           on imports.”                                   and possibly the Tesla Model 3.
available in New Zealand from near the           Jeremy Waldron of Hopmans QEII                 Updated versions of other brands
end of this year.                             cars in Christchurch which stocks              and models are also expected and in-
    Genuine Vehicle Imports general           Nissan Leafs and Toyota hybrids says           clude electrified or hybrid ones
manager Hayden Johnston says 2019             EV and hybrid sales remain steady. He

12 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
Find your new EVs here!                                             NEW EV CAR TYPES
                                                                                                           PRICING             APPROX
                      EV FRANCHISE DEALER LIST                     MAKE           MODEL          TYPE
                                                                                                            RRP est.          RANGE KMS
                                  NAME                      BMW           i3                    BEV      $76,900          200 km
AUDI / HYUNDAI / VOLKSWAGEN                                               i3s                   BEV      $84,300          200 km
                                                            Hyundai       Ioniq                 BEV      $59,990          220 km
Farmer Auto Village
07 578 6017                                                               Ioniq Elite           BEV      $65,990          220 km
                                           Mt Maunganui
info@farmerautovillage.co.nz                                              Kona                  BEV      $73,990          400 km
116 Hewletts Road, Mt Maunganui                                           Kona Elite            BEV      $79,990          400 km
HYUNDAI                                                     LDV           V80                   BEV      $80,489          180 km
Energy Motors                                               Renault       Zoe 40 kWh            BEV      $68,990          300 km
06 759 8070 | hyundai@energymotors.co.nz   New Plymouth                   Kangoo van            BEV      $74,990          160 km
Cnr Gill & Eliot Streets, New Plymouth                      Tesla         Model S 75/100 kWh    BEV      $134,370         350 - 540 km

BMW                                                                       Model X 75/100 kWh BEV         $138,820         380 - 475 km
                                                            Volkswagen    e-Golf                BEV      $61,990          220 km
Auckland City BMW                          Auckland
                                                                          A3 Sportback
Winger BMW                                 Wellington       Audi                                PHEV     $69,900          45 km + 600 km
                                                                          e-tron
Christchurch BMW                           Christchurch                   Q7 e-tron             PHEV     $158,400         54 km + 800 km
MITSUBISHI                                                  BMW           i3 - Range Extender PHEV       $84,500          200 km + 130 km

Archibald Motors                           Kaitaia                        i3s - REX             PHEV     $91,900          200 km + 130 km
                                                                          i8                    PHEV     $281,200         37 km + 400 km
Pacific Motor Group                        Whangarei
                                                                          i8 2018 Coupe         PHEV     $286,200         55 km + 400 km
Simon Lucas North Shore                    Auckland
                                                                          i8 2018 Roadster      PHEV     $309,900         53 km + 400 km
Andrew Simms Mitsubishi                    Auckland
                                                                          225xe                 PHEV     $69,800          41 km + 550 km
Auckland Motors Mitsubishi                 Auckland
                                                                          330e                  PHEV     $91,600          40 km + 550 km
Roger Gill Mitsubishi                      Pukekohe
                                                                          530e                  PHEV     $136,400         50 km + 600 km
Saunders Mitsubishi                        Thames
                                                                          740e                  PHEV     $202,700         48 km + 550 km
Ingham Mitsubishi                          Hamilton
                                                                          X5 xDrive40e          PHEV     $152,700         30 km + 800 km
Bay City Mitsubishi                        Tauranga         Hyundai       Ioniq Plug-in         PHEV     $53,990          63 km + 1040 km
Piako Mitsubishi                           Rotorua                        Ioniq Plug-in Elite   PHEV     $59,990          63 km + 1040 km
Wings & Wheels                             Taupo            Kia           Niro                  PHEV     $55,990          55 km + 850 km
W R Phillips, New Plymouth                 New Plymouth     Mini          Countryman            PHEV     $59,900          30km + 500 km
Wayne Kirk Mitsubishi                      Napier           Mitsubishi    Outlander             PHEV     $55,990          50 km + 500 km
Wanganui Mitsubishi                        Whanganui        Mercedes Benz C350 e Sedan          PHEV     $96,400          31 km + 700 km
McVerry Crawford Mitsubishi                Fielding                       C350 e Estate         PHEV     $99,400          31 km + 700 km
McVerry Crawford Mitsubishi                Palmerston Nth                 E350 e Sedan          PHEV     $143,500         30 km + 600 km
Wairarapa Mitsubishi                       Masterton                      GLE500 e              PHEV     $149,900         30 km + 700 km
Brendan Foot Mitsubishi                    Lower Hutt                     S500 e                PHEV     $255,000         30 km + 700 km
Wellington Mitsubishi                      Wellington       Porsche       Cayenne S e-hybrid PHEV        $177,800         20 km + 750 km
Houston Mitsubishi                         Nelson                         Panamera Turbo S
                                                                                                PHEV     $428,400         30 km + 750 km
                                                                          e-hybrid
Houston Motors                             Blenheim
                                                            Toyota        Prius Prime           PHEV     $48,490          50 km + 1000 km
Christchurch Mitsubishi                    Christchurch
                                                            Volvo         S90 T8                PHEV     $125,900         34 km + 600 km
Caroline Mitsubishi                        Timaru
                                                                          XC90 T8               PHEV     $134,900         44 km + 600 km
Stephen Duff Motors                        Dunedin
                                                                          XC60 T8               PHEV     $94,900          40 km + 600 km
Balclutha Mitsubishi                       Balclutha
                                                                                    BEV - Battery Electric Vehicle
Southern Mitsubishi                        Invercargill                          PHEV - Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

             116
             116 Hewletts
                   HewlettsRoad
                            Road
             Mount
             MountMaunganui,
                      Maunganui,Tauranga City
                                  Tauranga  City
             Tel: 07 578 6017
             Tel: 07 578 6017
             www.farmerautovillage.co.nz
             www.farmerautovillage.co.nz
                                                                          AUTOVILLAGE                                           ®

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                                                                                    EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 13
USED EV CAR TYPES
                                                                       APPROX RANGE

                                                                                         Find your
        MAKE                  MODEL            TYPE     PRICING RRP
                                                               EST.             KMS

BMW             i3 - 22 kWh                    BEV     $35k - $45k     120 km
                i3 - 33 kWh                    BEV     $53k - $59k     200 km
Hyundai         Ioniq                          BEV     $50k - $56k     220 km
                Ioniq Elite                    BEV     $50k - $66k     220 km
                Kona                           BEV     $74k            400 km
Jaguar          I-Pace                         BEV     $180k           380 km
Kia             Soul EV                        BEV     $30k            150 km
Mercedes Benz   B250 e                         BEV     $44k - $47k     140 km
                                                                                                         USED DEALERS LIST
Mitsubishi      i-Miev                         BEV     $11k - $14k     100 km
                B-Miev Van                     BEV     $18k            100 km                             NAME                        CITY
                                                                                         Cash Back Cars                         Whangarei
Nissan          LEAF Generation 1              BEV     $10k - $17k     120 km
                                                                                         Autolink Cars | 09 378 9090
                LEAF Gen 2 - 24 kWh            BEV     $12k - $34k     135 km                                                   Auckland
                                                                                         autolinkcarsltd@gmail.com
                LEAF Gen 2 - 30 kWh            BEV     $25k - $38k     180 km            GVI Electric
                                                                                                                                Auckland
                LEAF ZE1 - 40 kWh              BEV     $46k - $64k     250 km            09 216 7106 | ev@gvi.kiwi
                                                                                         Harwood Cars | 027 492 2218
                e-NV200 - 24 kWh               BEV     $29k            140 km                                                   Auckland
                                                                                         www.harwoodcars.com
                e-NV200 - 40 kWh               BEV     $59k - $60k     200 km            Auckland City Electric Vehicles
                                                                                                                                Auckland
Renault         Zoe 40 kWh                     BEV     $38k - $49k     300 km            0800 248 9387 | www.acev.co.nz
                                                                                         Wholesale Autos                        Auckland
                Kangoo ZE Van                  BEV     $46k            160 km
                                                                                         Volt Vehicles                          Auckland
Smart           Fortwo                         BEV     $20k            100 km
                                                                                         Plug N Drive New Zealand               Auckland
Tesla           S P85D                         BEV     $95k            330 km
                                                                                         Farmer Auto Village
                S 90D                          BEV     $145k           420 km            07 578 6017                            Tauranga
                X 75D                          BEV     $109k           340 km            info@farmerautovillage.co.nz
                X 90D                          BEV     $129k           410 km            Sheaff Vehicles | 07 575 6722
                                                                                                                                Mt Maunganui
                                                                                         mike@sheaff.co.nz
                X 100D                         BEV     $139k           480 km
                                                                                         Drive EV
                X P100D                        BEV     $200k - 240k    460 km            027 521 0429 | 07 378 0082             Taupo
Volkswagon      e-Golf - 36kWh                 BEV     $59k - $63k     200 km            steve@driveev.co.nz
                                                                                         EV Central                             Taupo
Audi            A3 Sportback E-Tron            PHEV    $41k - $50k     45 km + 600 km
                                                                                         The Car Man                            New Plymouth
                Q7 e-tron                      PHEV    $125k           54 km + 800 km
                                                                                         GVI Electric
BMW             i3 REX - 22 kWh                PHEV    $33k - $50k     120 km + 120 km                                          Lower Hutt
                                                                                         0800 525 5885 | www.gvielectric.kiwi
                i3 REX - 33 kWh                PHEV    $55k - $59k     200 km + 120 km   Coventry Cars Hybrid & Electric
                225xe                          PHEV    $50k            41 km + 550 km    04 384 4536                            Wellington
                                                                                         salesteam@coventrycars.co.nz
                330e                           PHEV    $50k - $76k     37 km + 550 km
                                                                                         Cooper Auto Company                    Wellington
                530e                           PHEV    $140k           50 km + 600 km    Gazley                                 Wellington
                X5 xDrive40e                   PHEV    $140k           30 km + 800 km    The Car Company Nelson                 Nelson
                i8                             PHEV    $140k           37 km + 400 km    EV Direct Imports                      Blenheim
Hyundai         Ioniq                          PHEV    $46             63 km + 1040 km   HVS Motors                             Timaru
Mercedes Benz   C350 e Sedan                   PHEV    $63k - $75k     31 km + 700 km    EV City | 03 972 5505
                                                                                                                                Christchurch
                                                                                         contact@evcity.kiwi
                GLE500                         PHEV    $130k           30 km + 700 km
                                                                                         Metro Christchurch
                E350 e                         PHEV    $120k           30 km + 600 km    03 348 5855                            Christchurch
                S500 e                         PHEV    $96k            30 km + 700 km    chrisn@metrochch.co.nz
Mini            Countryman Cooper SE           PHEV    $68k            30km + 500 km     Hopmans QEII Quality Cars              Christchurch
                                                                                         Stadium Cars                           Christchurch
Mitsubishi      Outlander                      PHEV    $28k - $56k     50 km + 500 km
                                                                                         Auto Court | 03 455 3000
Porsche         Cayenne S e-hybrid             PHEV    $129k           20 km + 750 km                                           Dunedin
                                                                                         info@autocourt.net.nz
Toyota          Plug-in Prius                  PHEV    $17k - $24.5k   26 km + 800 km    DK Motors                              Dunedin
Volvo           XC60 T8                        PHEV    $115k           40 km + 600 km    HVS Motors                             Dunedin
                XC90 T8                       PHEV $115k               44 km + 600 km    Gilmour Automotive                     Dunedin
                             BEV - Battery Electric Vehicle                              HVS Motors                             Gore
                          PHEV - Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle                         Electric Motor Vehicle Company         Invercargill

                                                                                           harwoodcars.com
                                                                                           Email: mharwood1117@gmail.com

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14 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
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                                                                                               EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 15
MICRO EVS
Safety emphasis as electric
scooter use soars
A
        focus on safety is being taken as      scooters and now ride-sharing options
        more electric scooter riders hit       are becoming more popular in world-
        the streets – sometimes literally.     class cities everywhere,” he says.
    Electric scooter ride-sharing com-             “Enabling this trial to continue for a
pany Lime’s Auckland licence and trial         further 10 weeks will give us a holistic
period has just been extended to March         picture of the demand for and use of
31 by the Auckland Council and Auck-           e-scooters in our city and enable a clear
land Transport (AT).                           way of managing that demand in the
    With that comes a commitment               future.”
from Lime to work with AT on safety                A review towards the end of the
initiatives to increase responsible use of     trial will determine whether hireable
e-scooters.                                    e-scooters will become a permanent
    “Our streets are used by lots of differ-   fixture in the Auckland region.
ent people and modes of transport. We              Lime e-scooters launched in Dun-
are working to improve road safety and         edin on January 10 and are operating
we are pleased that Lime will be working       under trials in Christchurch and the Hutt
in partnership with us to trial initiatives    Valley, with Queenstown, Tauranga and
around scooter education and appro-            Hamilton also expected to get them.
                                                                                            Editor Geoff Dobson tests a Lime on the Quay
priate speeds on our busier footpaths,”            Rowe says uptake has been “phe-
                                                                                            Street separated cycleway in Auckland.
Auckland Transport chief executive             nomenal” since Lime launched in Auck-
Shane Ellison says.                            land in October.                             ers can make a recommendation on
    Lime New Zealand Lime Launcher                 At least two other e-scooter opera-      whether the council should continue
Hank Rowe says a “Lime ambassador”             tors were expected to participate in the     issuing licences for e-scooter rental
programme helping educate riders and           Auckland trial over four months, but         providers.
improve safety will be included in the         one withdrew and another is facing a            “Extending the trial until the end of
trial extension.                               delay in launching.                          March will enable us to complete our
    He says the new initiatives will help          “Their licences were staggered be-       review within the trial period,” Kimpton
people understand Lime’s safe riding           tween mid-October 2018 and the end           says.
practices, and ambassadors will also           of February 2019,” Auckland Council             He says the exact timeline for the re-
approach riders who need reminding             chief operating officer Dean Kimpton         view work and how elected representa-
of Lime’s terms and conditions.                says.                                        tives will be involved should be known
    “We’re also looking at pop-up op-              “Lime’s licence was due to end on        shortly.
portunities in and around the city centre      January 14, leaving us without any              Associate transport minister Julie
for demonstrations, safety training and        operators in the Auckland market for the     Anne Genter, an electric bike fan who
giveaways.”                                    remainder of the trial period.               made world headlines last year after
    Similar initiatives to those applying in       “We have extended Lime’s licence to      riding her e-bike to hospital to give
Auckland will be discussed with relevant       allow us to continue to gather informa-      birth, intends waiting until after the
local authorities and agencies in other        tion and to complete our review. We are      Lime e-scooter trial before investigat-
cities, Rowe says.                             also pleased to be working with Lime on      ing whether any further regulation is
    The Auckland trial and licence exten-      trialling some additional initiatives that   needed.
sion will also allow AT and the Auckland       will add to our review.”                        Meanwhile, AT says it will continue
Council to get better information on               During the first e-scooter licence       to encourage scooter users to use
electric scooter rider injuries from the       period the council and AT have been          common sense and share footpaths
ACC.                                           monitoring the trial. This has included      with all users safely, including using
    Safety issues are the main priority,       logging feedback from the public,            scooters at safe speeds and wearing a
according to Ellison. “Electric scooters       meeting regularly with operators, liais-     helmet.
can be ridden on footpaths, roads and          ing and sharing information with other          Both AT and the Auckland Council
separated cycleways – that means they          agencies like ACC, the NZ Transport          launched a “scooterists code” late last
share their path with people, cars and         Agency and Christchurch City Council,        year in response to public and media
bikes – so safety considerations must          Kimpton says.                                enquiries about scooter safety.
be a priority.                                     Information gathered during the trial       The Scootsafe code:
    “Electric bikes, privately owned e-        period is being collated so that offic-                                 Continued on page 23

16 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Scania tests autonomous
truck with Rio Tinto

S
      cania is testing an autonomous            “We’re pleased to be trialling this
      truck at Rio Tinto’s Dampier Salt      technology in trucks that are smaller
      operations in Western Australia.       than our traditional haul trucks. This has
   The first phase of the trial started in   the potential to give us more flexibility
August 2018 and involves a Scania XT         in the way we operate in a number of
8×4 autonomous tipper truck.                 areas across Rio Tinto.
   Testing involves a safety driver riding      “We have seen automation create
in the vehicle to observe the truck’s        safer and more efficient operations in
performance and intervene if necessary.      our business and this is a next step in
   Additional autonomous Scania              evaluating options for delivering further
trucks will be added to develop vehicle      improvements through the use of tech-
-to-vehicle awareness and intelligent        nology.”                                          Rio Tinto has pioneered the use of
fleet supervisory controls.                     Scania mining head Bjorn Winblad            automation in the mining industry, with
   Rio Tinto head of productivity and        says mining sites provide “ideal” testing      the largest fleet of driverless trucks, the
technical support Rob Atkinson says          conditions for autonomous technology.          world’s first fully-autonomous heavy
the technology can greatly benefit min-         “The industry can reap the safety and       haul, long distance rail network, and
ing operations.                              productivity benefits of automation, and       fully autonomous production drills.
                                                  the experience gained here will be
                                                  instrumental in developing
                                                  fully autonomous solutions
                                                  for other transport applica-
                                                  tions.
                                                     “It is very encouraging
                                                  to note that the truck has
                                                  been performing in a safe
                                                  manner and in accordance
                                                  with expectations with
                                                  regards to the operations,”
                                                  Winblad says.

                                                                                          EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 17
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT
                                 Connected Vehicles

Ships shaping up as
transport automation lead
W
            e hear a lot about automated                                                         that allow autonomous vessels will
                                                  By Kit Wilkerson,
            cars, but automated vessels                                                          be seen first as trans-ocean ship-
                                                  VIA analyst and
            for maritime shipping will                                                           ping would likely require approval
                                                  adviser, on behalf
likely be a reality first. In fact, some                                                         in multiple jurisdictions.
                                                  of ITS NZ.
experts predict that remote-controlled                                                      4. Finally, and most important, the
ships will be in commercial use by the                                                           business models need to be devel-
end of the decade and automation will            Of course, for the near future, hu-             oped. It has been suggested that
continue to increase. This could have a       mans will still be needed for control in           remote or autonomous vessels can
huge impact on New Zealand, espe-             some situations, decision making, and              save about 15% in fuel costs simply
cially if used for coastal shipping.          planning.                                          by not having to cater to the crew.
    The big advantage of automated               According to the AAWA, this interac-            This estimate is based upon the
vessels will be the data that will be         tion can and should be done from land              use of today’s vessels and business
constantly available. Another benefit         using remote communication tools.                  models. The problem is that these
will the improved working conditions          This creates both risks and possibilities.         savings would be mostly eroded by
for the “sailors”. Imagine if they could         On one hand, this makes the vessels             added refit costs and other ongo-
log into a workstation and monitor            subject to remote hijacking; secure                ing technical costs. What is needed
vessel systems in real time – as if they      connections and the ability for auto-              is a complete rethink of the busi-
were on the ship, then sign out and           mated systems to know which com-                   ness model.
spend time with families once their           mands to trust and which to ignore is            The AAWA group envisions remotely
shift is over.                                essential. On the other hand, the avail-      controlled vessels with ever increasing
    As better systems of automation           ability of constant streams of rich data      levels of autonomy.
become available, the needs for remote        could have enormous consequences                 Anther body of thought available in
control diminish. It is likely that eventu-   for the shipping industry.                    a white paper by futurenautics, titled
ally, a few people can monitor and con-          Ship owners will be able to man-           Autonomous Ships, describes a different
trol a fleet of ships from their mobile       age their fleet in real-time optimising       future.
devices.                                      operations and hence - profits.                  One in which the business model
    A white paper by Advanced Autono-            The AAWA white paper highlighted           of ever more massive ships is replaced
mous Waterborne Applications (AAWA)           four points that need to be addressed         by one in which shipping is done with
called Remote and Autonomous Ships:           before automated ships can be realised.       many, smaller autonomous vessels that
The next steps highlights this vision.        1. The technology available needs to          can be used for coastal shipping or
    According to the AAWA, the technol-             be tested in real world and simu-       trans-ocean shipping.
ogy needed by remote and automated                  lated conditions to find necessary         According to some, the expected
ships is already available.                         and optimal combinations.               economies of scale that were envi-
    Perhaps the most exciting impact of       2. The new and yet unidentified               sioned using mega ships is decreasing.
automated ships will be the opportunity             risks that will emerge when using       Some benefits of the mega ships, such
to redefine the ship functionality and              autonomous systems need to be           as decreased environmental impact,
design. Without onboard crew, many                  identified, assessed, and solved.       are not being realised.
design requirements disappear, includ-        3. The legal and regulatory challenges           The problem with mega ships is
ing the need for control and accommo-               related to operating autonomous         the limited number of ports that can
dation facilities. This will simplify ship          vessels also needs to be explored.      support them, requiring other forms
design, saving cost, weight, and space              In fact, this hurdle suggests that      of transport, usually over land, to solve
that can be used for more cargo.                    coastal shipping within jurisdictions                         Continued on page 24

                                                                       www.hmi.co.nz
                                                  At the forefront of the transport technology revolution

18 | EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz
ITS New Zealand leads the Future Transport conversation, promoting
                                            research, development and adoption of solutions for safer, more
                                            efficient and sustainable transport.

The new epoch in                                                                           What’s Happening:
New Zealand                                                                                T-Tech Conference dates have been an-
                                                                                           nounced for May 6-7, 2019 in Christchurch.

transport
                                                                                           The programme is under development
                                                                                           and ITSNZ is recruiting speakers (see
                                                                                           website for details).

innovation
                                                                                           •   Future Transport and Cities
                                                                                           •   Sustainability, Efficiency and Beating
                                                           Simon McManus.
                                                                                               Climate Change
                                                                                           •   Safety in Cities and Transport
BY SIMON MCMANUS, EXECUTIVE
OFFICER, INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT
                                            significant progress on its electric           •   Connectivity, Cybersecurity, Data and
SYSTEMS NEW ZEALAND INC                     autonomous shuttles and has interna-               Digital Infrastructure
                                            tional interest in China and Korea as          •   Future Freight

O
           n the water and in the sky, on   well as here in New Zealand.

                                                                                           events
           the roads, and even off the          In commercial vehicles, Waste
           roads … 2018 was the year of     Management NZ began converting
big announcements for an emerging           diesel to electric, while Zero Emission
industry of New Zealand’s vehicle and       Vehicles (ZEV) has developed com-
transport innovators.                       mercial vehicles now being trialled at         may 6 - 7 2019
   These are the entrepreneurs and          Australian mines and have some heavy
businesses who see opportunity in           haulage vehicles in development too.
the disruption coming in sustainable        Trans-Tasman company SEA Electric is
electric power, new and emerging            now making vehicles in New Zealand
technology and changes in transport         - its rubbish trucks are on the road
                                                                                           T-Tech is New Zealand’s Future Transport
behaviours.                                 here.
                                                                                           Conference, the leading event which
    It was not that long ago that peo-          On the water, it’s no surprise to
                                                                                           explores the latest transport technology
ple still recalled the Skoda-powered        hear that we’re going to be one of
                                                                                           trends, research and technology business
Trekka as New Zealand’s effort to           the first countries to develop elec-
                                                                                           models.
become a transport innovator and            tric boats and ferries, thanks to East
exporter – circa 1966-1973.                 by West Ferries Wellington, McKay
   Yet in 2018 it seemed that every         electrotechnology engineers and               october 21-25 2019
month we had at least one exciting          SSC boat builders who’re aiming for a
announcement of new development             ferry launch date in late 2019.
and manufacturing under way in New              Auckland’s McMullen and Wing
Zealand’s transport sector.                 were hot on their heels to announce
   Firstly, let’s look at the public        plans for as many as four electric fer-
transport solutions where Kiwi com-         ries for Auckland by 2021, in time for
panies have already been busy. Early        the America’s Cup – an event which            ITS World Congress
in 2018, Tauranga-based Kiwi Bus            will showcase New Zealand’s entire
                                                                                           The 2019 Congress theme of “Smart Mo-
Builders got New Zealand’s first elec-      marine industry.
                                                                                           bility, Empowering Cities” reflects Singa-
tric buses on the road in Auckland,             In the air, the Martin Jetpack com-
                                                                                           pore’s Commitment to create the most
followed later in the year by double        pany, while still battling to find its true
                                                                                           liveable smart city in support of higher
decker buses in Wellington.                 commercial potential, without a doubt
                                                                                           quest for an ever connected community.
   Ohmio Automotion has made                                      Continued on page 27

  gold members
                                                                                                        contact us
                                                                                                         ITS NZ INC
                                                                                                         www.itsnz.org
                                                                                                         simon.mcmanus@itsnz.org
  silver members                                     JOIN THE FUTURE                                     +64 (0)21 709 386

                                                     TRANSPORT CONVERSATION
                                                                                          EVTALK JANUARY 2019 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 19
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