September saw the NZ Electro Mobility Summit and Expo occupy The Cloud on Auckland’s waterfront over two days and it was quite a different flavour to previous events which focused on the rising tide of electric vehicles.

All industries concerning electric mobility seem to have matured very rapidly in the short space of two or three years.

The NZ Electro Mobility Summit and Expo has matured at the same time, presenting not only the glamour and glitz of electric mobility, but the substance behind it.

In fact, the number of automakers presenting their product was significantly limited: Ford, Hyundai and Nissan were the only mainstream auto brands in evidence, but what was more interesting than who wasn’t there, were the organisations who did attend.

These were largely suppliers to the electro-mobility sector, the companies who provide the infrastructure, quite literally from the metal poles a charger sits on to the chargers themselves.

As well, there were the supporting industries whose purpose is to ease the transition from an ICE-driven world to an alternatively powered – electric/hydrogen – one.

There was a very specific ‘vibe’ to the Summit which went a little beyond just networking, here was where small to medium and large businesses could interact with official agencies, allowing them to focus on the future of their business enterprises with more than a measure of confidence.

While the Summit included an Expo with products and displays, the seminar content was diverse, informative and well-patronised covering topics like the electric maritime sector, how to transition an ICE fleet to an electric one, heavy transport solutions, exploring and evolving a sustainable culture, helping establish global charging standards, electric fleet management, electro-mobility in the military and a panel discussion from the automotive industry representatives.