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Carbon News says entrepreneur and engineer Ian Macrae, the man who has funded Waikato University’s NZ Eco Ultra-Commuter electric vehicle project, is meeting a UK car maker with a view to establishing a UK/Australia/New Zealand consortium.
The consortium would produce an electric car and electric car technology in New Zealand, says Mike Duke, senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at the university.
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Music to my ears. If they sell shares and the vehicle proposed looks viable, I'll invest in that.
Here is an opportunity for New Zealand to take the lead and make a product the world will see value in buying. The spin-offs for the rest of the NZ economy could be enormous.
The government does appear to be making some effort in this area. A new "Vehicle Energy and Renewables Group", incluing Ian Macrae mentioned above, is advising government on what incentives might be used to encourage manufacturers to use renewable energy sources in transport.
