Some of the most exciting and rapid changes in the way we shift to doing things in a cleaner, smarter way are happening in one of the most personal aspects of our lives: the car.

Many Kiwi’s love their wheels and anyone who loves fast cars will love the latest new electric cars. You will have heard of the Tesla. If you haven’t, then where have you been? The Tesla is the car that has turned the way we look at electric cars on its head. As Elon Musk, the brains behind the Tesla said of his latest creation: “this car will crush a Porsche on the track, just crush it. And by the way, it happens to be electric”.

As electric cars revolutionise the way we get from A to B, the visionaries at Evolocity New Zealand want to make sure that New Zealand gets a piece of the action. EVolocity are not only promoting the benefits that switching to electric vehicles will have for Kiwis, but want us to use our engineering prowess and smart thinking to be part of the future of transport.

So in November, they are holding an event in Christchurch to showcase the latest in electric vehicle technology as well as having some battery powered fun with some of the quickest drag racers and motor cycles on the planet. Some of these electrifying wheels include the White Zombie and the Killacycle: they are the type of machines that would take off if they had wings and their images will hang on the bedroom walls of our teenage children. Electric cars really have come a long way since Sir Clive Sinclair introduced the world to the C5, and all of them are powered in a clean, smart way.

The beauty of the electric car is in the vital role it will play in transforming our lives, whilst helping us to reduce pollution. The cost of the cars is coming down dramatically and will continue to do so making them more readily available, which is good news for the kiwi driver. On average you can save around $2000 a year on running costs. And the electric car will play a key role in turning our homes into mini power stations. As the cost of solar also continues to fall, the two clean technologies can work together to keep the lights on, store energy and save on household bills.

And in the bigger picture, it means we can strengthen our economy as we become less dependent on importing oil and our balance of trade looks healthier.

As our Minister for Climate Change Tim Groser said at the Climate Voter debate, we are in a great position to take advantage of the developments in electric cars because so much of our energy comes from clean sources. In fact, there’s enough consented clean energy on the books to power as many as 2 million electric vehicles.

So if you get the chance check out EVolocity. It’s a window into how we can build a smarter, cleaner New Zealand. You'll get to see some fast cars too.