Hon Dr Megan Woods

Minister of Energy and Resources

· Developing the market for low emissions vehicle technology

· Tackling transport’s climate impact with focus on electric trucks

· More investment in crucial charging infrastructure

A battery swapping station for electric trucks is among exciting new low emission transport projects getting government co-funding, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced today.

“So far, we only have a few dozen electric trucks on the road but innovations like battery swapping stations for E trucks will save valuable time for truckies. It will mean they’ll be able to quickly swap in a fully charged battery to continue their journey, leaving the old battery for recharging later and at off-peak times when electricity is cheaper,” Megan Woods said.

“This is exactly the kind of innovation the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund is here for, to address barriers that may be in the way of faster low-emissions transport uptake. The technology is advancing at pace, and I’m confident the E truck project will demonstrate the potential for further electrification of the heavy fleet.”

In total, 22 projects will receive $6.5m in round 10 of the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, with this round’s focus on investment in heavy transport and the public charging network. Recipients will contribute an additional $12.8m.

Round 10 is made up of:

· Three technology/battery testing projects

· Seven heavy electric trucks projects

· Eleven charging infrastructure projects

· One van project.

Minister Woods announced the round 10 recipients at an event to launch a round 9 project; an EV and E bike sharing pilot at the Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust, which is giving its tenants the opportunity to share, rather than own transport.

“Sometimes innovation isn’t just about the technology itself, but how it can be used. Community projects where people can use an EV or E bike, without having to buy them, is a great example of this,” Megan Woods said.

Dr Woods noted that the round 10 projects come from the final round of the LEVCF in its present form, as the government will progressively increase the size and scope of the LEVCF to $25 million per year by 2023/24.

“Expanding the scope of the fund will not only further help us tackle transport’s climate impact, it will also encourage more growth in the low-emissions technology sector,” Megan Woods said.

Reflecting the change in scope, it will be renamed the Low Emissions Transport Fund (LETF).

Details of the LETF will be announced by October.

The Fund is one of several initiatives in the Government’s Electric Vehicles Programme.

NOTE 

The 11 charging infrastructure projects include:

· Alpine Energy, Z Energy, SIXT New Zealand and Goodman Property Trust will each install high speed chargers (ranging from 120 to 150kW)

· ChargeNet will deliver six 300kW hyperchargers in three separate projects: two each (with multiple charging ports) in Wellington, Queenstown and Taupiri

· Wellington City Council and Hutt City Council will each install a network of interoperable neighbourhood chargers.

In round nine of the Low Emission Vehicle Contestable Fund (LEVCF), Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (ŌCHT) received $44,500 government funding (total project cost of $84,000) to deliver a subsidised electric vehicle sharing pilot comprising:

· Five e-bikes for community use (free of charge)

· Two Nissan Leaf cars for use at a nominal fee, and

· Parking for 20 bikes using Locky Docks (app-activated bike racks that allow people to secure their bikes and charge e-bikes for free).

Since the Contestable Fund began, EECA has committed $35.7m in government funding to 201 projects, matched by $77.2m in applicant funding.

For more information about the LEVCF, and to see details of the LETF when announced, visit https://genless.govt.nz/businesses/co-funding-and-support/business-co-funding-and-support-programmes/low-emission-vehicles-contestable-fund/about-the-fund/ or email the EECA team on LEVFund@eeca.govt.nz.

For general information about EVs, see www.electricvehicles.govt.nz

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