NZ Light Vehicle Electric Sales : 2020 (By Brand)

                   Let's hope he's stopped to take pictures, not waiting for a tow truck

NZ generates most of its electricity from renewable sources, so electric cars are a no-brainer. However, it isn't that simple. It costs a great deal of money to subsidise electric cars as they are expensive to produce. To do that would mean taxing fossil fuel and that doesn't seem a popular choice for politicians to make. 

NZ is also a sparsely populated country, for example, 10% larger than the UK but with only 7% of the population. There are much larger distances between towns and getting a charging infrastructure set up to effectively cover the country without a large number of people to justify the outlay is an issue.

That leads to range anxiety. Where I live it takes hours of driving to reach another city. I would love an electric car but due to range issues, recharging inconvenience and purchase cost I will not consider one, especially as a one-car family. 

It seems that most private buyers of electric cars in NZ buy used ones imported from overseas. That is confirmed by the fact that mild-hybrid sales are much stronger than BEVs and continue to grow much faster.

Businesses are more likely to buy new and write down costs while promoting a green image. In 2020, electric sales for new light vehicles dropped after years of increase. Presumably, most businesses have their electric fleet sorted and there isn't the demand to keep that growing. 

Therefore more private buyers are needed but until the cost of ownership and convenience maximised, private buyers will remain in the ICE camp. Personally, I bought a new ICE car fifteen years ago and it still runs fine. Retaining that position is the best for the environment anyway.