Greg Larsen: Auckland City Electric Vehicles Director on the continued drop in electric vehicle sales

The demand for electric vehicles has continued its decline.  

Last year importers across the country were scrambling to meet demand, and Auckland City Electric Vehicles was awaiting one of their largest shipments.  

Since the axing of the clean car discount, BMI Research figures suggest that the total decline in EV sales will fall by nearly 11 thousand vehicles this year.   

Auckland City Electric Vehicles CEO Greg Larsen told Mike Hosking that every manufacturer is going down the EV track, and he thinks they may have gone too fast.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New insight also into our EV market and demand for
electric transport. These are figures from B and I Research.
Total decline in sales here will be two thirds. That's
nearly eleven thousand cars not sold. Auckland City Electric Vehicles
Director Greg Larson's with us on this Greg Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
To you, Mike, how are you very well?

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Indeed, the EV market versus the general car market? Can
we differentiate at the moment between the two given the
economic circumstances or not?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well? Not really. I think some of the statistics that
we're shown in that article really takes in EV's reduction
and ice cars reduction together. Really.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
One thing that worries me, does it worry you? Is
too much reportage is lumping hybrids with bebs together. They're
not the same thing, and I'm not sure people understand
they're not the same thing.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, you're quite right, So they aren't the same thing.
And the government have done their calculations on how to
put road user charges against those two vehicles, and I
think even they've admitted that they've got the caculation wrong.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
No, is that going to change next year? In other words,
are people are going to sort of be up to
speed they'll get the rock story, they'll understand what's right,
what's good for them, bad, whatever, and it'll sort itself
out in the end.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well, I hope. So there'll be road user chases on
ice cars next year. That's what the indications are. But
I think the lack of education in the market is
probably what's really confused buyers at the moment.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Do you worry as an EV seller the international problem
at the moment, which is virtually every manufacturer going whoops,
let's pull back a little bit. In other words, it's
not quite the avalanche we thought it was going to be.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, that's a really good question. I think you've had
somebody on You'll Show a few months ago from Ford
a key with It's working in marketing. I think now
her thoughts were really valid. And the fact is every
manufacturer is going down the EV track. I just think
we're probably gone too fast.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Insane and well, and I will.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Definitely get there. Our manufacturers are hitting us in that direction.
We have no choice of really what vehicles we're going
to be supplied in three or four years time.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
No, exactly. Greg Nice Insight appreciate it as always Greg Larsen,
who's the Auckland City Electric Vehicles Director. For more from
the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks. It'd
be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on
iHeartRadio