News and notices Pānui

Electrifying news for DHB car fleet

10 May 2022

A $0.631 million co-funding allocation will see 20 electric vehicles transform the Bay of Plenty District Health Board car fleet and slash nearly 88 tonnes of annual carbon emissions.

The State Sector Decarbonisation Fund allocation, administered by EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), was announced on Friday 6 May, and will support the purchase of 20 new electric vehicles and the installation of associated charging infrastructure.

The first tranche of fully electric vehicles will begin arriving in the coming months and the DHB estimates they will reduce carbon emissions by around 87.8 tonnes per annum.

BOPDHB Chief Financial Officer Simon Den Bak has been leading the planning for transitioning to a more sustainable fleet.

“We have been replacing vehicles with hybrids for some time now”, said Simon. “We are pleased to receive this funding which allows us to start the transition to a battery electric fleet within our existing budget. We see this as both a cost effective and climate resilient move for our organisation.”

The BOPDHB has a goal over the next five years to transition to 90 percent battery electric vehicles and 5 percent hybrid vehicles.

Sustainability Manager, Vicktoria Blake, is thrilled that the fleet transition is beginning to occur, while acknowledging that electric vehicles are not the silver bullet for reducing emissions from travel and transport.

“We still have work to do,” said Vicktoria. “Engagement in public and active transport modes requires some work, and air travel is still a significant contributor to BOPDHB’s carbon footprint, but it is great that we are working on decarbonising our fleet and ensuring we are using it in the most appropriate manner, while continuing to deliver the services our community requires.”