Established 4WD tour operator Outback New Zealand is leading the way for electric vehicles in adventure tourism.
Following years of research, Outback New Zealand has invested in a fully electric Yutong 25-seater bus. The move is a first for Queenstown and New Zealand in the adventure tourism off-road sector.
Trading as Nomad Safaris, the business has more than 30 years of experience in operating small personalised tours in Queenstown and the wider region.
Nomad Safaris co-director David Gatward-Ferguson said the commitment to the e-bus has been many years in the making.
“For years we’ve wanted to take people into a UNESCO World Heritage area without creating any emissions whatsoever,” said Gatward-Ferguson. “It’s been our life’s work to reduce our carbon emissions and now finally we can walk away with this legacy, showing younger people that it is possible.
Nomad Safari operates a 35-plus strong fleet of machines and two Teslas. The Teslas were considered trailblazers in the adventure tourism industry when they were first introduced to the fleet in 2018.
Leading the way in transport innovation comes at a cost, and is being co-funded by the Low Emission Transport Fund (LETF) managed by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). The Yutong E7 coach, made in China and due to be shipped to New Zealand within the next six months, costs $458,000, compared to its diesel-powered counterpart at $176,000.
The e-bus will replace diesel coaches used for summertime track transfer work to and from the Routeburn Track, including sections on unsealed roads within the National Park. The return trip is 150km and Outback New Zealand has calculated that the new e-bus will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 17,702 kilos of carbon annually, based on a comparative analysis with diesel-powered transport.
Low Emission Transport Fund Lead Louise Murphy said the project is a great example of what the Low Emission Transport Fund is for, enabling early adopters to get innovative projects off the ground, and eventually encourage more organisations to follow suit.
“It’s great to see tourism operators embracing low-emissions transport, particularly as international tourists become more conscious of their footprint as they travel.”
