Subscribe to RSSMinisters Welcomes Fewer SUVs
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee today welcomed the fact Kiwis are buying fewer new gas guzzling vehicles and called for more fuel efficiency to help with the environment.
He said sales of the highest carbon-emitting segment of cars down by 41 per cent in the two years from June 2008.
Mr Brownlee says most families will spend about the same amount of money on fuel for their vehicles as they do on energy for the whole of their homes.
“On top of that, cars account for about eight per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions, and the total transport sector accounts for roughly 20 per cent. “Anything we can do to reduce the amount of fuel we use to get from A to B helps bring this figure down.”
There had been a steady improvement in the fuel efficiency of modern cars as the manufacturers pushed to better the performance of their vehicles, Mr Brownlee said.
I spotted this outrageous beast in Auckland's suburbs
He made his comments as the 2010 AA Energywise rally passed by parliament, He said consumers can also make a real difference to their fuel bill by following some sensible, fuel-efficient driving techniques.
Drivers in the fuel efficiency rally aim to complete the four day North Island route spending as little as possible on fuel, including road user charges. The rally passed through Wellington today on the second day of competition.
4 Comments
I admt i HATE the fuel guzzling thing. but it kinda does look pretty
“On top of that, cars account for about eight per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions, and the total transport sector accounts for roughly 20 per cent. “Anything we can do to reduce the amount of fuel we use to get from A to B helps bring this figure down.”
Good point Mr Brownlee, that is one of the reasons why we want/need PT in Auckland and why we voted for Mr Brown.
How much does trucking account for? I’d be curious about how high, because I suspect air travel is also a big chunk.
But in any case, better PT and rail and cycling and walking is far from ONLY about emissions and fuel efficiency anyway.
His comments make me quite angry. The last Labour Government had introduced legislation that would require all dealers to display fuel consumption information on cars. Joyce actively went out and scrapped this, for the benefit of National’s mates in the car industry, and to the detriment of everyone.