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EV owners laughing?

If you drive an EV then you could soon be even better off than those who are still reliant on petrol or diesel.

Why?

Well "experts" are predicting that in retaliation for US strikes on their nuclear facilities, Iran plans to shut down a vital shipping route in the Straits of Hormuz.

If this happens, or even if there are strong fears that it will happen, fuel prices can be expected to soar to new heights.

That's because somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of all oil passes through these straights on its way out of the Middle East.

While most of us are paying well over $3 per litre for our petrol, EV owners will be silently gliding about with a smug smile on their faces.

So forget about all the benefits to the planet. Ignore the lower total cost of ownership. Focus on the fact that so long as we're reliant on fossil fuels for our transport needs then we're always going to be at the mercy of idiots in other countries who think it's a good idea to wage war against each other.

Here in New Zealand we are very well positioned to significantly reduce our reliance on external energy sources -- if we have a mind to do so.

Plentiful hydro, wind, geothermal, tidal and solar sources would make it a pretty simple task to significantly green-up our energy sector -- so why haven't we done exactly that?

I find it pretty amazing that our rail network is still primarily driven by dirty old diesel-electric engines and we have so many diesel-powered trucks carting freight around the nation. What ever happened to electrification of the main trunk line and shifting from an inefficient, dirty diesel-powered road transport network to that far more efficient and clean option?

Railways may seem old-fashioned but when configured correctly they're damned efficient and would massively reduce the cost of maintaining our road network. Odds are they'd also reduce the road-toll by a small but meaningful amount. What's more, when there were surges in the price of oil there would be far less of a flow-on effect to all other parts of our economy such as food prices.

It seems to me that successive governments have been far more focused on reaping rich rewards (by way of dividends and taxes) from our electricity industry, instead of pouring that money back into expanded capacity and the electrification of our transport infrastructure.

Where's the long-term vision, where's the testicular fortitude?

Sadly, it seems that our politicians are too fixated on short-term goals, the type of goal that makes it easy to get re-elected. Long-term planning is always something for the next government to do and thus we all get shafted.

Proper reinvestment in our electricity industry would bring down power prices and that would improve the profitability of our industries while also reducing the cost of living for every New Zealander. Aren't those fantastic outcomes that should be pursued?

Instead, we force domestic, commercial and industrial consumers to subsidise one of the world's largest aluminium producers by offering them sweetheart deals on electricity and then warning everyone else of looming power-cuts due to a lack of capacity.

Who are the clowns behind this nonsense?

Is it time for a separate, independent, non-partisan body to be set up to manage New Zealand's energy future? Think of the rich rewards we, as a nation, could reap from having this crucial piece of infrastructure operated in a way that truly delivered on its potential.

Perhaps its time to rethink how we manage the things we all rely so heavily on. Leaving it up to transient and self-interested politicians has proven to be a rather dismal failure IMHO.

Carpe Diem folks!

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