29 October 2014

National has chance to show leadership on limos

The National Party has the opportunity to show leadership by transitioning our vehicle fleet towards renewable electricity when a new contract to supply Government limousines for VIPs goes to tender next month, the Green Party said today.

“This is a great opportunity for the Government to lead by choosing low emission, electric cars,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today.

“The performance of some electric car models, like the Tesla Model S, exceed the specifications needed for the Government’s luxury limousines.

“They are cleaner, safer, quieter and cheaper to run.

“And they may be cheaper. The list price of the current BMW limousines, purchased in 2011, is higher than the list price of the equivalent electric car.

“This is a perfect opportunity for the Government to lead by example, take action on climate, and save taxpayers money.

“The Conservative UK Government recently announced its intention to purchase 150 electric vehicles across its fleet. The limousine it is considering has a range of 425km, seats five, has a top five-star safety rating, and produces zero emissions at the tail pipe.

"National so far has taken no action to reduce carbon emissions, despite setting an ambitious target to reduce them by 2050. John Key can start showing leadership now,." Ms Genter said.

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, which manages procurement across government, said the process is expected to take six months and the replacement cars will be progressively rolled out in the second half of 2015.

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