Expert group to promote electric vehicles and biofuels
A group of experts on transport fuels, renewable electricity and vehicle technologies will help New Zealand take a step
closer towards becoming a sustainable nation, says Energy Minister David Parker.
The Vehicle Energy and Renewables Group, made up of nine industry and research experts, is responsible for promoting the
use of renewable energy in transport, particularly in the areas of electric vehicles and biofuels.
"The idea of a specialised group covering the transport sector came out of the New Zealand Energy Strategy (NZES) which
proposed bringing experts together to consider the implications of increasing the use of biofuels beyond 2012 and the
introduction of plug-in electric vehicles," the Minister said.
"The combined expertise of this group will go a long way towards ensuring our transport system steps up its use of
renewable resources and decreases its reliance on fossil fuels. One of the immediate issues the group will consider is
how to help New Zealand become one of the first countries in the world to widely deploy electric vehicles.
"These are key priorities of the implementation of the New Zealand Transport Strategy" said Mr Parker.
The members of the Vehicle Energy Renewables Group are:
David Baldwin (Chair), Contact Energy; K-J Kells, Meridian Energy; Ralph Chapman, Victoria University; Tim Jones,
Sustainable Energy Forum; Mike Noon, New Zealand Automobile Association; John Leighton, Mitsubishi Motors; Ian Brooks,
New Zealand Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and Zero Emissions Limited; Vicki Buck, Celsias and Aquaflow; and Ian Macrae,
Page & Macrae Engineering and financier of the successful Waikato University UltraCommuter electric car that competed in the
greenfleet class of the World Solar Challenge in October last year.
The group will meet three or four times a year.
ENDS