National’s EV plan

National has announced their electric vehicle policy. The summary is:

• Invest $257 million over four years to deliver 10,000 public EV chargers, nearly 10 times more than the current number
• Revive the highly successful Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) funding model to deliver a nationwide EV charging network with chargers located where drivers need them
• Eliminate the need for resource consents for EV charging points to reduce up-front costs
• End the ‘ute tax’ and clean car discount schemes which Labour said would be fiscally neutral, but which are unnecessary, expensive and fiscally unsustainable

I much prefer a government to invest in infrastructure, than subsidise cars. I have an electric car myself (purchased before the subsidy) and the lack of charging infrastructure is a real hassle.