About the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund
Accelerating the uptake of low emissions transport
The Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund offers up to $6.5 million a year to projects that will accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and other low emission vehicles.
Projects are co-funded with private and public sector partners in areas where commercial returns aren’t yet strong enough to justify full private investment.
It’s a Government fund administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). It’s one of several government activities paid for via a levy on petrol and engine fuels.
One of the most effective ways to reduce our total emissions is by transitioning our fossil-fuelled transport fleet to run on clean, renewable electricity.
Objectives of the Fund
Projects selected for co-funding meet at least one of these objectives:
- Increase the variety and supply of low emission vehicles.
- Improve the availability of servicing or charging infrastructure in areas where demand is uneconomic or not fully developed.
- Increase demand for low emission vehicles.
- Develop innovative products or systems for electric vehicles.
Scope of the Fund
Co-funded projects must involve mainstream vehicles.
These can include:
- passenger vehicles, buses and trucks that operate on roads used by the public
- charging
- other technologies that will support EV uptake.
These areas are out of scope:
Vehicles and related technologies:
- maritime, aviation and rail vehicles
- vehicles intended for off-road purposes such as forklifts and diggers
- conventional and plug-in hybrid vehicles and those fuelled with biofuel (as they do not use electricity from an external source)
- two and three wheeled vehicles, such as power-assisted cycles and motorcycles
- quadricycles and “neighbourhood” electric vehicles.
Projects and activities:
- any activities that would represent an ongoing financial liability for EECA, such as insurance underwriting
- projects that are purely focused on training or professional development
- projects that are purely focused on education and information provision (this is a focus of the EECA information campaign)
- research – being defined as original and planned investigation undertaken with the prospect of gaining new scientific or technical knowledge and understanding
- international travel
- “business as usual” costs of an organisation, such as the costs associated with existing staff.
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Assessment process
The EECA Board makes funding decisions based on recommendations from an independent assessment panel. The assessment panel is comprised of experts from the energy, transport and freight sectors.
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Need some help?
If you'd like to discuss a project or idea, contact us on LEVFund@eeca.govt.nz, or call Camilla Cochrane on 027 457 0205.