People often ask us why Orion supports EVolocity.
It feels good to help others who are as passionate about a challenge as we are – to see young people giving it a go, and teaming up to overcome a test of ingenuity and applied creativity. Those skills are vital in our industry, and we hope we’re fostering future talent in electrical engineering.
But that’s not all. Helping young people to realise the possibilities of a future without using fossil fuels for transport is our greatest hope for everyone taking part. It’s the purpose for our involvement.
New Zealand is facing a big challenge over the coming decade. Climate change is a crisis that calls for action that is both urgent, and game-changing.
New Zealand needs to reduce our CO2 emissions by around 31 million tonnes, or around 30-35 per cent, in order to do what is necessary to keep the planet from warming more than 1.5 degrees, with the catastrophic consequences that brings. Road transport is 14 million tonnes of New Zealand’s national emissions and to stay within 1.5 degrees we’ll need most people driving around in electric vehicles.
EVolocity demonstrates that young people have a fantastic capacity to solve problems. If one of our EVolocity team members turns out to be the next Elon Musk, that’s great. It’s equally great if one convinces their parents to buy a second-hand Nissan Leaf as the next family car.
At Orion, we’re walking the talk. More than 36 per cent of our vehicles have electric drive capabilities and we’ve installed a network of electric vehicle chargers around our region. We want to go further though. We’ve set an ambitious target to reduce our operational emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.
There is never one magic solution to what is a complex problem. But each of us talking a step, small or large, to tackle it is a step in the right direction.
Through EVolocity, we are proud and encouraged to see so many young people rallying to the challenge, and applying their passion, problem solving skills, and resolve to ensuring the future of our planet.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of it.
First published in our December 2020 ezine
