No we shouldn’t ban petrol cars

Stuff reports:

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has rejected a call for the Government to set a deadline after which the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles would be banned. 

Software entrepreneur and electric vehicle champion Sigurd Magnusson said New Zealand should follow Norway, which plans to stop sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2025.

Which would basically mean only rich people can own cars.

Electric cars will become more popular as the technology gets better and their prices drop. Also once petrol prices increase again, that will provide an incentive.

It is not the role of the Government to dictate what fuel source a car must use. It is appropriate to have a tax on certain fuels to recognise their external costs, but that is a world away from a ban.