Soaring fuel prices are renewing interest in hybrid and electric vehicles, e-bikes and e-scooters. Photo / 123rf
With war in the Middle East sending fuel prices soaring, Chronicle journalist Noam Mānuka Lazarus discovers a renewed interest in electric transport.
Combined new and New Zealand-new registrations of light battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were 1540 for the week ending March 29.
The number has been rising each week since March 8, when there were 347.
According to user-based fuel price app Gaspy, the average price of unleaded 91 has risen by 36% in the past 28 days.
David Jones Motors principal dealer Gareth Jones said there was a revived interest in electric alternatives.
Hybrid and PHEV cars had remained popular over the past few years, while interest in full electric cars had declined.
“But in saying that, with the recent fuel prices increasing, second-hand electrics are very popular again, and more inquiries on PHEV and hybrids.”
Wanganui Motors Dealer principal Mark Quirk has also noticed a “steady increase” in interest for EVs.
He expected the firm would “definitely” see a spike in sales in the next couple of weeks if fuel prices didn’t return to normal.
Ignition Motor Group owner Ken Williams also noticed growth in electric sales.
The Government scrapped rebates for electric and PHEV purchases in December 2023, followed by the introduction of road user chargers for EVs in April 2024.
“They [EV sales] were going like no tomorrow. But people pulled off because they weren’t getting the subsidy anymore, but the cars – nothing’s changed in them,” Williams said.
“It will get better, the ranges are increasing, there’s more life in electric now than ever before.”
Whanganui’s Lucy Dallas bought a Toyota Aqua hybrid in 2024.
“With my job, driving around a lot, I knew that I’d need something that wasn’t a petrol guzzler,” she said.
The high fuel prices still affected her, but she was glad to be saving.
She has no plan to return to fully petrol-fuelled cars.
Her parents had also adopted electrics, having bought two e-bikes, which had helped them stay active.
The Bike Shed owner Brian Anderson said the store’s yearly e-bike sales were up about 20% this year.
Sales had been progressing reasonably quickly since the Covid-19 lockdowns.
“Probably the last four to five years, things have really moved.”
The recent fuel price hikes had brought more interest in e-bikes, but he had yet to notice an increase in total sales.
The rapid fuel hikes showed how New Zealanders were “quite vulnerable”.
“We’re at the bottom of the world, so we kind of get last priority.”
The store now offers customers 15 to 20 different styles of e-bikes, ranging from $2500 to $20,000, as well as various e-scooter products.
Anderson said an e-bike would last for eight to 10 years. It typically required one charge a week for daily commuters, and one maintenance a year.
Whanganui Evo Cycles manager Shaun Tucker said e-bikes could be slightly more practical and easier to ride.
“I saw someone this morning heading to work on a scooter. They’re very practical for that.”
Tucker said Evo Cycles also had an “upsurge” in e-bike and regular bike sales, with buyers citing the current fuel crisis.
E-bikes now made up nearly half of the company’s bike sales.
They had become more of a norm for regular commuting and for leisure at weekends.
“And e-bikes have changed as well. Now there’s your full-on mountain bikes, with powerful motors.
“We’ve got one gentleman who’s done over 36,000 kilometres on his e-bike. He’s in his 80s. He’s saved mega dollars.”
Another recent customer sold her car after adopting her e-bike.
This saved her a “major amount” after car maintenance costs, tyres, registration, insurance and depreciation.
Tucker said many older people had benefited from taking up e-bikes, allowing them a more active lifestyle than driving.
Bikes made a lot of money for Whanganui, especially with the Tour Aotearoa route (Cape Reinga-Bluff) attracting riders from around the world.
It was becoming easier to ride bikes, especially in Whanganui, with the council introducing more pathways, he said.
“You build it, they will come. People will use it.”