1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

EV news from New Zealand

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by samiam, Feb 10, 2009.

  1. samiam

    samiam Antipodean Prius Poster

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2007
    2,442
    29
    14
    Location:
    Enn Zed
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Story #1

    Mitsubishi and Meridian launch electric car trial
    Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand and Meridian Energy today launched a trial of the first mass produced new generation electric vehicle to come to New Zealand - the revolutionary Mitsubishi iMiEV. Mitsubishi New Zealand chief executive John Leighton says Meridian is an ideal partner for the iMiEV project because the power company produces renewable energy and has a strong focus and commitment to sustainability.
    Scoop: Mitsubishi and Meridian launch electric car trial

    And on the same day, Hyundai rolls out their Blade Electron...
    (which, unlike the iMiEV, you can actually buy now)

    Story #2
    Electric car free of road tax charge
    The prospect of mass-market electric cars moved closer yesterday with the launch of what is claimed to be New Zealand's first commercially available electric vehicle.
    Environment Minister Nick Smith, who went for a spin in the Blade Electron, also said the Government plans to waive road-user charges on electric vehicles. The per-kilometre charges on vehicles like the Electron are higher than the cost of the electricity they consume.
    Electric car free of road tax charge - National - NZ Herald News

    And of course, where there are reporters, the politicians descend like magpies...

    Story 3
    Mass market electric cars hit NZ roads
    (TV news item with video)
    Two new mass market models of electric cars launched in NZ | TECHNOLOGY

    One more thing, the Hyundai sells at $55K which sounds like a lot, but that price is cheaper than an i-Tech Prius here in NZ!
     
  2. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    DAMN!!! 23 cents per KWH!! wow

    **edit**
    then again, after browsing several articles i guess you guys are simply on the "wheelbarrow" pay system...

    read the article about MacDonald's increasing prices because the minimum wage had been increased to $12 an hour...
     
  3. samiam

    samiam Antipodean Prius Poster

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2007
    2,442
    29
    14
    Location:
    Enn Zed
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Yes yes, electricity costs to the consumer skyrocketed after the conservative govt privatised the powercos a little over 9 yrs ago.

    What's more interesting (to me) is the hype made by Mitsi (1st mass-produced electric car in NZ etc really consisting of only 2 demonstrators) which was pretty effectively countered by Hyundai's Blade actually going on sale, to anyone, today, at a pice lower than a new Prius.
     
  4. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    2,369
    978
    70
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Those are New Zealand dollars. Converting to USD it's more like 12 cents per KWH, and $6.25 for minimum wage. The electricity is about the same as I pay in the San Francisco area, and California minimum wage is $8. So on those two measures NZ & US are pretty close. I don't understand the bargain we get on a Prius, but I'll take it...
     
  5. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    wow... Cali minimum wage has really gone up since i was there. of course it didnt matter since no one paid minimum wage anyway. when i left, the average worker at MacDonalds was making $7 an hour and minimum wage was like $4
     
  6. kiwibruce

    kiwibruce Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2009
    46
    6
    0
    Location:
    Katikati, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius

    You can only take that conversion so far.
    If you live here... You earn NZ dollars you spend NZ dollars. So really you do have to look at it as a 1 to 1 conversion.
    So, the Min wage IS $12.00 (just about to go up to $12.50) and Power IS 23 cents p/kw

    Electricity is insanely expensive, As samiam said mentioned a real case of Privatization doing the EXACT opposite of what they promised it would. (Like I ever believed it would lower prices!)
    The good thing down here is most of the power is Hydro generated so is green... as long as you discount all the farmland, orchards and towns that were flooded in the 50's, 60's and 70's to build the hydro dams.

    Well that is where the Conversion DOES come in to play.
    We all buy Prius from Japan, The US Dollar is Strong against the Yen The NZ Dollar is weak. (And just got a whole lot weaker in the last few months) I have just relocated back to NZ from Canada and really noticing the prices ! Crazy! Amazing what 10 years away will do for dulling the memory!
     
  7. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    2,369
    978
    70
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    The $8 is for most workers. Learners and sheepherders are exceptions. I can understand learners, but sheepherders? Goat herding gets you $8/hour, but sheepherding gets you $1422.52 per month. Plus guaranteed mail service at least once a week. The sheepherders get all the perks!
     
  8. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2007
    5,051
    481
    97
    Location:
    Flushing, NY
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Another factor in the pricing is the different taxing systems, i.e., I believe the New Zealand price includes tax while the United States price excludes tax:

    New Zealand price includes 12.5% Value Added Tax.

    While the United States price excludes Sales Tax which varies from State to State, County to County and/or City to City, and which range from 0% to over 9%. 5 states charge no sales tax. Here in New York City, I pay 8.375% total sales tax. I believe in California, the total sales tax for most is over 9%.
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,768
    16,017
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Nice. The MiEV is also being launched in the UK.
     
  10. samiam

    samiam Antipodean Prius Poster

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2007
    2,442
    29
    14
    Location:
    Enn Zed
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Thank you for noticing the intended topic Tideland ;-)

    Heard how the Hyundai Blade is selling anywhere else?
     
  11. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'll wait for the FT-EV because I want mine to be reliable. I wonder how Mitsubishi will make the Mi-EV start to blow smoke after 100,000km? Wouldn't be a true Mitsubishi if it didn't.
     
  12. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    2,369
    978
    70
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Story about returning back home. My wife is Scottish, and she had been living in Los Angeles for 20+ years when I met her. The first time we traveled to Scotland she thought that you had to buy petrol by the gallon. We had a rented car with an unknown tank size, the gallons are larger, and the money was unfamiliar (at least to me). So we drive into a petrol station, and she trys to figure out how many gallons to put in, and how much that might cost in USD. Talk about overload. The pumps looked just like any modern pump, with currency calculation and automatic shutoff. But no, the way they do it in Scotland is that you request a number of gallons, and the attendant pumps that amount. It turns out that her knowledge of how to buy petrol was frozen back at least 20 years, and what she knew about it was stories from her parents. The attendant was rather amused at our attempt to calculate the number of gallons required, and suggested that we just fill it up.

    Somehow, home is supposed to be frozen in time, and unchanged when you return 20 years later.
     
  13. kiwibruce

    kiwibruce Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2009
    46
    6
    0
    Location:
    Katikati, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I read that, Cool. I wonder what other countries they are going releasing it in? And how long it will be before it is on sale in any real numbers. I hope the usual early adopters (Govt, Councils, Google type outfits jump on these cars and get them in good numbers out on the roads.
    I would love one of these (or the Blade) as our 2nd car. But on my budget I will have to hang out for them to get into real production and the price to come down a bit.

    It is a long slow road but at last they are coming.... ! Yeah!
    Let's hope they don't get crushed this time... heh heh
     
  14. samiam

    samiam Antipodean Prius Poster

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2007
    2,442
    29
    14
    Location:
    Enn Zed
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    That's just a stereotype. The iMiev and Blade Electron are apparently pretty quick vehicles ;-)

    My home is frozen in time, we still use a coal range and fireplaces for heating, and the dishes are still dirty when I return home.
     
  15. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2005
    15,232
    1,562
    0
    Location:
    off into the sunset
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    As I'm discovering, dogs love to help with the dishes. Zuli's got them licked before I can even finish loading the bottom rack of the dishwasher. You do have a non-bipedal non-anthracitic dishwasher, don't you? ;)
     
  16. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2007
    3,355
    299
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    My brother-in-law, who's visiting from Palmerston North, thinks my Prius drives just like any other car. I told him about all these EVs coming to NZ, and he simply was not impressed. He wants to get a Ford Mustang if he could afford one. Of course, he's only 26 years old, single, AND he's a Kiwi, so :D

    His mum (my mother-in-law) on the other hand, complains incessantly about her electric bill...
     
  17. kiwibruce

    kiwibruce Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2009
    46
    6
    0
    Location:
    Katikati, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Oh young and silly (And from Palmerston North... what can you say...;)) , But hey, I used to drive a big nice person V8 when I was 20 and thought I was sooo cool. But that was then and this is now.

    I have been buoyed by the huge numbers of small cars (sub compact in American speak) Hyundai Getz and the like, that are on the roads. That has been a breath of fresh air coming back to NZ. If I never see another freaking F350 or Excursion again in my life I will be a very happy person.

    B