Planning for electric vehicles

The number of electric vehicles (EV) on our roads is growing. Planning for this growth is an important part of building a low carbon, safe and healthy transport system in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What we have done

In 2016, the Government launched a cross-agency programme to speed up the uptake of EVs and support the decarbonisation of the transport sector.  

Since then, Waka Kotahi has: 

• Defined a vision for a nationwide public EV charging infrastructure network.
• Led the development of nationwide guidance for EV charging infrastructure.
• Established EVRoam, a live database of EV charging infrastructure in New Zealand.  

Statistics on the number of EVs in New Zealand(external link)

What we are working on

In May 2022, Government will release its first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP). As signalled in the draft ERP, transport will have a significant role to play in reducing our emissions by 2035. A key focus is encouraging the rapid adoption of low emission vehicles, which includes EVs.

To support this, we are:

• Collaborating with other agencies to develop a national EV charging infrastructure plan, providing strategic direction as the public charging network expands.
• Administering the Clean Car Programme.

About the cross-agency EV programme(external link)

View the ERP consultation discussion document(external link)