Are the new BMW Crown limos green enough?

Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Prime Minister John Key steps out of a crown limo.

Government ministers will soon be cruising the country in new BMWs, but if the Green Party had its way the prime minister and his entourage would be ferried around in electric cars.

The Department of Internal Affairs announced on Wednesday that 32 of it fleet of 34 VIP vehicles will be replaced with new BMW 730Lds.

The Tesla Model S is presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany earlier this month.

While nine vehicles were tested as part of the tender process - of the vehicles that met the requirements the BMW had the 'lowest total cost of ownership'.

The Greens have previously called on the Government to ensure environmentally-friendly cars were bought when the warranty on the current fleet expired.

Its preferred crown limo choice is a Tesla - a high-end electric car that covers 400km in one charge.

There are only a few in New Zealand but several MPs have driven in them and the Greens say they are of a high enough standard to transport foreign dignitaries.

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'The Government has wasted the opportunity to lead the way and start replacing the crown fleet with electric cars, instead of buying more BMW diesels,' Green Party transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said.

'Questions need to be asked about whether the Government has turned down advice from the Ministry of Transport to buy electric cars.'

Genter said ministry documents showed the Government was aware what needed to be done to decrease transport emissions but were being tight-lipped on what they were doing.

Ministerial vehicles are used for the prime minister and Ministers of the Crown, Labour's leader and deputy leader, the speaker and deputy speaker of Parliament, the judiciary and visiting dignitaries including heads of state.

Of the nine vehicles that were tested, three were shortlisted, which all have diesel engines.

The vehicles were evaluated for safety, security, reliability, comfort and space, suitability for VIPs and as a mobile office, compliance with emission standards and economy.

The current fleet was scheduled for replacement this year and the new cars will be introduced from December.