The Climate Change Commission‘s final report to the Government is still too reliant on the uptake of electric vehicles, says the Motor Industry Association. 

MIA chief executive David Crawford said that while the association “cautiously welcomed” the report, some of the recommendations were overly ambitious. 

Released last week, the Inaia tonu nei: a low emissions future for Aotearoa report lays out the roadmap for the country to slash emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050.

The Commission received more than 15,000 submissions in response to its draft advice released in late January.

Crawford said the report made some good suggestions on a package of regulatory tools aimed at accelerating the uptake of low emissions vehicles, including a clean car standard, incentives and various tax/accounting measures, and developing low carbon fuel markets. 

“The new vehicle sector would love to sell as many electric vehicles as they want us to,” he said.

“But this side of 2030, it is highly unlikely we will be able to get enough electric vehicles to reach half of light vehicle imports by 2029.”

Crawford said bulk procurement of electric vehicles was a welcomed recommendation. 

“However, as the world scrambles to buy electric vehicles, the Government‘s ability to buy in bulk is likely to remain constrained for some years to come,” he said. 

Crawford said the Commission‘s proposal to ban internal combustion engines as soon as 2030 and no later than 2035 was also overly ambitious. 

“The MIA supports their recommendation to develop a low carbon fuel market such as hydrogen, synthetic fuels and biofuels,” he said.

“This will be more effective in quickly reducing the transport sector‘s CO2 emissions.”