If carbon emissions are the problem, then liquid-fuelled vehicles are most of the cause. Transport accounts for nearly 40% of these emissions and that is why switching to an electric vehicle (EV) is one of the most powerful ways you can shrink your environmental footprint.
Genesis Energy is supporting
this shift by investing in public charging infrastructure, partnering with smart charging innovators, and backing trials that help make EV ownership easier and more beneficial for all New Zealanders.
EV advocate and Drive Electric chair Kirsten Corson points out the shift also saves money.
“Driving an EV for the first time often comes with a bit of a ‘Eureka’ moment, because you get the immediate sense that this is modern technology compared with the way combustion engines make power,” says Corson. “And the reality is that thanks to efficiency, so much more of the energy input goes directly to the wheels rather than lost through thermodynamic inefficiency.”
There has always been a major argument for that where transport is concerned, often coming down to the cost per kilometre of fuelling any vehicle. Things get even more interesting when you look at what happens to that fuel.
In combustion engines, widely available estimates put energy losses at between 75 and 85%. “In other words, for every $10 you spend, up to $8 literally turns into hot air,” Corson says, “Because that’s where your major loss is. Rather than moving the wheels and the car, that energy turns into heat or friction and is lost.”
And electric vehicles? “Electric motors have long stood out as more thermodynamically efficient, losing just 11% of the energy required to get moving.”
What that means in practice for the individual driver is less money per kilometre travelled. Since EVs also have around 20 moving parts compared to 2000+ in a combustion-powered counterpart, maintenance requirements tend to be greatly reduced. No oil changes, no air filters, and even brakes that last far longer. “But solely in terms of fuel, you’re looking at $3-$5 per 100 km travelled versus $15-$20 for petrol,” Corson explains.
There is a bigger picture, too – New Zealand is in the fortunate position of having around 86% of its electricity generated from renewable sources. That’s a big part of why going electric is better for the environment.
“That very high percentage of renewable energy means EVs really make sense for this country, more so than many others,” says Corson. She adds that, according to Drive Electric, after covering 15,000 to 25,000km, an EV becomes carbon neutral compared to a petrol car.
However, there is a potential fly or two in the ointment relating to energy availability, and a perception that limited battery lifespans may adversely impact EV efficiency and environmental sustainability.
On the first issue, Corson acknowledges the reality of power availability being finely balanced against supply. “The question is, how are we going to power an EV fleet if we don’t bring on more electricity generation?”
“The clue is, again, in efficiency. We’re moving from thinking of EVs as vehicles, to thinking of them as massively distributed batteries capable of smoothing the typical peaks and troughs in demand. The problem isn’t that we don’t have enough electricity, it is that we don’t have enough primarily at two periods every day. And the EV itself can help solve that problem.”
That’s the thinking behind Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), which allows EVs to store renewable power when demand is low and return it to the grid during peak times. “In five years, we’ll think of EVs as batteries on wheels,” Corson predicts. “You can power your home or sell energy back into the grid, reducing strain and supporting renewable generation.”
She says price signals, or charging when power is cheap, and discharging into the grid at a higher price could reduce energy bills by 10-20%.
As for batteries, Corson says EV batteries are inherently valuable and suited to recycling. While market maturity is required, demonstrable in European markets, already local companies are processing batteries for reuse in EVs or repurposed as home electricity storage systems.
The financial upside adds weight to the environmental reasons many Kiwis are already considering the switch.
There’s one more big picture advantage. The country’s liquid fuel supplies originate mostly in the Middle East and are refined in APAC countries including Singapore, Korea and Japan. “Every year, this represents a massive sum of money leaving the country, around $20 billion.”
In practice, the EV shift offers more than environmental or cost benefits. It also means considerable benefit to lift New Zealand’s economic performance by keeping energy spending local and renewable.
Genesis Energy is committed to supporting this shift. By helping expand the charging network and integrating advanced energy solutions, Genesis – in partnership with ChargeNet – aims to make EV adoption easier, smarter, and more accessible for all New Zealanders.
Find out more about how you can save money while reducing your carbon footprint here at genesisenergy.co.nz/ev.