EV (electric vehicle) News & Discussion

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4098 posts

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#3397501 28-Jul-2025 08:32

Pete101:

Having just bought a new EV and reading through the last few pages of posts here, I was wondering what you all think is behind the slow down in EV sales?

The market moved to Hybrids and PHEVs when the subsidies ended and then the RUC got imposed on EV's.

EV's in this country never got to critical mass so still arent considered 'normal'.

Overseas the EV market share is steadily increasing - here... not so much.

Australia for example (Sorry - used google AI to grab he figures - but have checked and they are correct):

...representing a rise in market share from 9.6% in the first half of 2024 to over 12% in the first half of 2025.

June 2025 also marked a new monthly record, with EVs accounting for nearly 16% of all new vehicle sales.

I think we reached 7% in April - but people have gone PHEV because they can use the RUC loophole to pay no RUCs.

The government's promised EV charger network spend isn't happening either - people are happier with EV's when they are aware that longer trips arent an issue.

It takes a 'managed' push to get sales to a level where they continue to rise - we never got to that point....

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Dingbatt

6756 posts

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#3397502 28-Jul-2025 08:44

robjg63:

I think we reached 7% in April - but people have gone PHEV because they can use the RUC loophole to pay no RUCs.

What loophole means you pay NO RUCs if you have a PHEV?

I thought the rate was just half the BEV/Diesel rate.

From my perspective, the sooner we move to a uniform system of RUCs for all vehicles, the better.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Scott3

3970 posts

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#3397505 28-Jul-2025 08:44

Source: https://evdb.nz/ev-stats

Pure EV:

Incl Utes and vans:

BEV + PHEV Cars:

+ Utes and vans:

Note the above graphs are % based. Overall car market was overall extremely weak in 2024.

Trend seems clear to me, growth to December 2023, then a massive drop, Then growth again.

Last month was particually good, driven by the start of deliveries of the facelift Tesla model Y, and BYD discounting their entire range of EV's by $5000, combined with substantial promotion of the Shark 6 PHEV at Fieldays (they had ~10 on display with different colors, accessories etc).

As to the big drop in Jan 2024, this was due to:

Pull forwards in demand. Lots of people purchased EV's before the rebate expired. Unusually high amounts of stock was registered as demo cars (allowing collection of the rebate, as long as the car is not sold in the next 3 months) in the last 3 months of 2024.
Loss of the rebate - from EV price trends after, it seems this was more about the idea of getting the rebate than the actual $ value.
It became clear that EV's were going to have RUC applied at the full $7.6 / 100km rate. This means EV's pay ~2.4x the road tax of a Yaris hybrid. Means running costs of EV's are now similar to that of smaller toyota hybrids (or higher if public charging), so the lure of cheap running costs is gone/
General poor economic conditions globally. Increasing cost of debt.
Dropping car values - Basically a return to normal auto market with depreciation post covid shortages, But the days you could buy a new model 3, and sell it for more money a year later are long gone.

Pete101

15 posts

Geek

#3397507 28-Jul-2025 09:02

Scott3:

It became clear that EV's were going to have RUC applied at the full $7.6 / 100km rate. This means EV's pay ~2.4x the road tax of a Yaris hybrid. Means running costs of EV's are now similar to that of smaller toyota hybrids (or higher if public charging), so the lure of cheap running costs is gone/

I remember this government saying their plan was to move all vehicles to RUC to make it fair for everyone...it seems that might still be more of a long term plan.

Just on charging costs, I'm with Genesis and have signed up for their EV plan, half price electricity between 9pm and 7am, but more importantly, by using their app at Chargenet stations pay the same rate per kWh to fast charge as my home rate. I also have solar with a battery, so I can avoid the higher daytime rates and, if need be, top up the battery on the cheap night rate electricity during cloudy weather.

eracode

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#3397600 28-Jul-2025 09:08

Dingbatt:

robjg63:

I think we reached 7% in April - but people have gone PHEV because they can use the RUC loophole to pay no RUCs.

What loophole means you pay NO RUCs if you have a PHEV?

I thought the rate was just half the BEV/Diesel rate.

Correct - there’s no loophole - PHEV’s pay 50% RUC.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

robjg63

4098 posts

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#3397618 28-Jul-2025 10:52

eracode:

Correct - there’s no loophole - PHEV’s pay 50% RUC.

OK - I was wrong on that - apologies.

Though the sooner they move to a flat rate per km for all vehicles the better - I imagine that is not really a priority.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

jarledb

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#3397620 28-Jul-2025 11:00

robjg63:

Though the sooner they move to a flat rate per km for all vehicles the better - I imagine that is not really a priority.

I have said it before, but it it bears repeating: Adding RUC to EVs was an easy task. Adding RUC to all petrol cars in NZ is a much bigger task.

I suspect it is in the "too hard" basket and will continue to be pushed back, both during this parliamentary term and the next.

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HarmLessSolutions

974 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#3397623 28-Jul-2025 11:11

Absolutely. The introduction of distance based RUCs across all ICE vehicles will entail a rejig of FET which if done in isolation will benefit high consumption vehicles. Increasing the 'carbon tax' on petrol will be required to counter this. Overall this whole regulatory disruption will be viewed very negatively by a large portion of the voting public so don't hold your breath on it being rolled out. The conflicting views on emissions targets by the current coalition partners only adds more complication to what strategy is adopted.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

SaltyNZ

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#3397624 28-Jul-2025 11:33

HarmLessSolutions:

Overall this whole regulatory disruption will be viewed very negatively by a large portion of ~~the voting public~~ National voters so don't hold your breath on it being rolled out.

To be fair, it will also annoy a lot of Labour voters.

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

johno1234

2806 posts

Uber Geek

#3397652 28-Jul-2025 12:57

HarmLessSolutions:

Absolutely. The introduction of distance based RUCs across all ICE vehicles will entail a rejig of FET which if done in isolation will benefit high consumption vehicles. Increasing the 'carbon tax' on petrol will be required to counter this. Overall this whole regulatory disruption will be viewed very negatively by a large portion of the voting public so don't hold your breath on it being rolled out. The conflicting views on emissions targets by the current coalition partners only adds more complication to what strategy is adopted.

Per the name, RUC charges are for road building and maintenance and should not be linked to emissions. To tax emissions you tax the fuel.

SaltyNZ

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#3397654 28-Jul-2025 13:04

johno1234:

Per the name, RUC charges are for road building and maintenance and should not be linked to emissions. To tax emissions you tax the fuel.

Yes, and that's half the problem. No government really wants to tackle the logistics of moving petrol vehicles to RUCs. But the current government has no interest in taxing emissions either. It'd be free reign to drive around in the cheapest, dirtiest vehicles available.

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

HarmLessSolutions

974 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#3397655 28-Jul-2025 13:21

johno1234:

HarmLessSolutions:

Absolutely. The introduction of distance based RUCs across all ICE vehicles will entail a rejig of FET which if done in isolation will benefit high consumption vehicles. Increasing the 'carbon tax' on petrol will be required to counter this. Overall this whole regulatory disruption will be viewed very negatively by a large portion of the voting public so don't hold your breath on it being rolled out. The conflicting views on emissions targets by the current coalition partners only adds more complication to what strategy is adopted.

Per the name, RUC charges are for road building and maintenance and should not be linked to emissions. To tax emissions you tax the fuel.

I'm well aware of that and if you reread my post you will see I didn't propose incorporating emissions taxation with RUC, quite the opposite.

The price of petrol will reduce if FETs are removed in favour of distance based RUCs therefore high consumption vehicles will benefit as a result as they will be paying the same RUCs as all other vehicles but their pump price for petrol will be cheaper. Currently FET's RUC (70.024c/L + GST) component is equivalent to 7.6c/km for vehicles consuming ~9.5L/100km. If they consume more than that they effectively pay more RUC as a result. Therefore the current system already inadvertantly uses RUCs indirectly as a disincentive for consumption/emissions.

Imposing uniform RUCs across all light vehicles (offset by reducing FET) will level the RUC burden for all but will have the side effect of reducing the price of petrol at the pump, therefore another taxation component is required to incentivise fuel (and emissions) reduction. That is most logically done by way of increasing the current Emissions Trading Scheme levy which currently set at 14c/L.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

Pete101

15 posts

Geek

#3397680 28-Jul-2025 14:53

HarmLessSolutions:

Imposing uniform RUCs across all light vehicles (offset by reducing FET) will level the RUC burden for all but will have the side effect of reducing the price of petrol at the pump, therefore another taxation component is required to incentivise fuel (and emissions) reduction. That is most logically done by way of increasing the current Emissions Trading Scheme levy which currently set at 14c/L.

While this might have some truth, by not introducing RUC across all light vehicles, the side effect is to make EVs less attractive.

MarkH67

518 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3397730 28-Jul-2025 15:13

Pete101:

While this might have some truth, by not introducing RUC across all light vehicles, the side effect is to make EVs less attractive.

Also we currently have a weird situation where an older 24kWh Leaf pays full RUC while a plug-in hybrid with MORE than 24kWh of battery can pay half as much RUC. A tradie can work around the city every day, towing a trailer with his BYD Shark and plugging in each night, hardly ever needing to buy fuel and paying half RUC. The sooner they bring in RUC for all vehicles the sooner they can level the playing field and make it fair for all drivers.

HarmLessSolutions

974 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#3397731 28-Jul-2025 15:20

The whole RUCs on EVs thing was discussed to death over 70 pages of this thread.

Seems a bit pointless to regurgitate the same stuff all over again.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

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