An advocate for electric vehicles says that multiple countries have already set an end date on selling petrol vehicles. 

It was revealed last week that the Government had considered introducing a ban on importing petrol vehicles by 2035.

Associate Transport Minister Julie Ann Genter told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the Government decided other schemes would need to be introduced first. 

"We need to start with our clean car standards and discounts. We are so far behind. There are many other countries that are legislating end dates."

Justin Boyd, founder of the Electric Vehicle Association Aotearoa, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that France, India and the United Kingdom are amongst the countries that have set dates on a ban already. 

He says that by 2035, there likely won't be that much of a demand for fully petrol vehicles anyway. 

"An electric or alternate fuelled vehicle will be much cheaper to purchase and to run." 

Boyd says that we are already starting to see hybrid cars become cheaper than their fully petrol alternatives. 

• Julie-Anne Genter focussed on reducing fossil fuel use