D
261 days ago

EV car running costs tripled you may ask? RUC? Or be dammed about the environment.

David from Glenfield

I bought a pure EV Ioniq 2021 car last year. Lots of reasons environment etc. mainly running costs. I knew RUC ((Road users charges)) were coming. But when they confirmed the amount, I was shocked.
Currently my EV cost to run approx. $3 /100k plus RUC of $7.60 it is about to be $10.60
My wifes pure petrol car approximately similar size, cost to run approximately $13.75/100km (5 liters) also. broken down though petrol excise duty (petrol equivalent of RUC) @0.70c per l = $3.50 that is a huge increase of RUC over 100% for EV, WHY?
I do believe in user pays but begs the question why double because I pay less for the fuel, being electric? We are supposed to be green sustainable country and yet those like me, are penalized for doing the right thing. In fact, if I had a car double the weight which would cause more damage to the roads it's the same price not more for the expensive RUC, So unjust and unfair.
If there was a stepped for small EV, medium EV and heavy EV, and huge 3-3.5 tones, that would be fair. RUC charges all pure EV and diesel up to 3.5 Tonne are all priced the same.
Only way to escape it if I had a super light small EV car and I would not have to pay at all. Anyone selling a 999kgs or less EV? Maybe move to hybrid non pluggable petrol car and have smaller running cost and be dammed about the environment?
I edited as my run to Hamilton there and back was $6 which is 200km...

More messages from your neighbours
11 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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3 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.5% Summer
    61.5% Complete
  • 36.8% Winter
    36.8% Complete
  • 1.6% Other - I'll share below
    1.6% Complete
1048 votes
9 days ago

Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag

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