Largest drop in emissions still not good enough

The Motor Industry Association (MIA) has confirmed last year saw a drop in new-vehicle CO2 emissions of 4.7 per cent, the highest year-on-year drop since 2006, when the MIA started collecting data.

There were 25,194 new vehicles sold last year with some degree of electrification, a 94 per cent increase on the previous year’s tally of 12,997.

The figures show a 344 per cent increase in sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) between 2020 and 2021, a 228 per cent jump for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and a 59 per cent increase in hybrids.

Hybrids have long been the biggest sellers for electrified vehicles. Last year 13,794 hybrids were sold, versus 2482 PHEVs and 6827 BEVs.

Unfortunately, the transition to a more fuel-efficient fleet won’t be enough to avoid incoming governmental

penalties, says MIA boss, David Crawford.

‘‘New Zealand distributors are working closely with their parent companies to transition as fast as we can to a more fuelefficient fleet. However, the transition is nowhere fast enough to avoid the

Government’s looming clean car standard penalties from next year onwards,’’ Crawford says.

While the accelerating rate in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the new vehicle fleet is pleasing, it signals to the Government the severity of the targets and resulting penalties contained in the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill.

‘‘For our sector to reach the proposed 2025 target, we needed to have reduced our average emissions by 10 per cent in 2021, not 4.7 per cent.’’

According to the MIA, New Zealand is already behind the rate needed to reach the Government’s targets despite the massive increase in sales of new low emission vehicles last year.

‘‘Failing to meet the targets means prices for vehicles will increase to offset the penalties faced by new vehicle importers.’’

With the amendment bill coming back to the House for its second and third readings, the MIA has urged the minister to review the targets so they are ‘‘challenging but not crippling’’.