Sustainable living, Things to do  |  22 Aug 2022

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Christchurch will lead the charge towards cleaner forms of transport next month by hosting the county’s biggest public display of new battery electric vehicles.

Christchurch City Council has organised the Take Charge Christchurch Expo to showcase the latest and greatest in battery electric vehicles and to give people a chance to see first-hand the vehicle technology that is available right now to make the switch from fossil-fuelled vehicles.

The two-day expo will take place at Te Pae Convention Centre over the weekend of 17 to 18 September and will be free for the public to attend.

Cars, vans, off-roaders, motorcycles and mopeds will be among around 50 battery electric vehicles on show at the expo, making it the biggest display of new battery electric vehicles in the country. The vehicles will cover a range of price points.

“The Take Charge Christchurch Expo is free to attend and open to everyone. People are encouraged to come and inspect these zero exhaust emission vehicles, ask questions of our expert dealership exhibitors, and find out about this exciting vehicle technology,” says Council Resource Efficiency Manager Kevin Crutchley.

“There will be prizes available, courtesy of our exhibitors, including having the opportunity to go into the draw for the use of battery electric vehicles for a specified time.’’

The Council has set a target of halving the district’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (excluding methane, which has a 25 per cent reduction target) from the baseline set in the 2016/17 financial year.

“With on-road petrol and diesel transportation making up approximately 36 per cent of our district’s emissions, it is critical that we make the move to zero exhaust emission vehicles as soon as possible, as well as embracing other modes of zero emission transportation,” says Mr Crutchley.

The Take Charge Christchurch Expo will be open to the public from 10am to 5pm, Saturday 17 September and 9am to 5pm, Sunday 18 September 2022. People can enter Te Pae Convention Centre via the main entrance on Oxford Terrace.