Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund
Grants of up to 25% towards approved new heavy vehicles or vehicle conversions in New Zealand, delivered through approved suppliers and converters as a reduction in the operator’s price.
Αυτή η ευκαιρία είναι προς το παρόν διαθέσιμη στα Αγγλικά.
The fund helps New Zealand operators buy approved battery-electric, renewable-hydrogen fuel-cell, plug-in diesel-electric hybrid or hydrogen-diesel dual-fuel heavy vehicles, or convert eligible existing vehicles. The grant covers up to 25% of the approved price or conversion cost. You pay the supplier or converter the balance—at least 75%—rather than receiving cash from EECA.
The maximum grant per vehicle depends on technology and size. The amounts below are New Zealand dollars excluding GST, with GST added as applicable. Gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the vehicle’s maximum loaded weight, including payload, driver and fuel. Gross combination mass (GCM) includes the permitted towing combination; the fund uses the manufacturer’s GCM.
| Approved vehicle category | Light: up to 12 t GVM | Medium: over 12 t GVM, up to 39 t GCM | Heavy: over 12 t GVM and over 39 t GCM |
|---|---|---|---|
| New zero-emission vehicle | NZ$35,000 | NZ$90,000 | NZ$200,000 |
| Existing vehicle converted to zero emissions | NZ$17,500 | NZ$45,000 | NZ$100,000 |
| New plug-in hybrid or hydrogen-diesel vehicle | NZ$8,750 | NZ$22,500 | NZ$50,000 |
| Conversion to eligible hybrid/dual-fuel technology | NZ$8,750 | NZ$22,500 | NZ$50,000 |
Each amount is a ceiling: the grant is also limited to 25% of the relevant approved cost. Only approved heavy vehicles qualify; vehicles below 5.9 tonnes are excluded. New-purchase support covers the cab and chassis, not bodywork. Conversion support excludes purchasing the original vehicle and unrelated items; EECA approves the funded conversion costs. An unregistered vehicle converted before its first registration as a zero-emission vehicle falls within the new-vehicle grant category.
For 1 July 2026–30 June 2027, an operator and its related entities together can receive up to NZ$1 million excluding GST across suppliers. A supplier and its related entities can process up to NZ$4 million excluding GST. A supplier buying for its own use is subject to the NZ$1 million customer cap. The programme-wide allocation for all hybrid/dual-fuel purchases and conversions is limited to NZ$5 million over the fund’s life; a vehicle can receive support only once.
With an operational lease, you pay to use the vehicle owned by the leasing company. That company receives the purchase grant and must reflect the benefit in the lease costs paid by the operator. You still owe the agreed purchase, conversion or lease balance. EECA pays the approved supplier following registration or completed conversion and payment checks. The supplier must repay misapplied or fraudulently obtained grants; a customer refund also triggers proportionate repayment by the supplier.
Eligibility
Eligible operators are New Zealand-based legal entities registered in New Zealand or legally registered to trade there, including state-owned enterprises and local or regional councils. Public-service departments, non-public-service departments such as the Defence Force, and statutory Crown entities are excluded. The vehicle must be used in New Zealand. The same vehicle’s capital cost cannot also receive funding under another central-government scheme.
The fund is restricted to legal vehicle classes ME (heavy buses), NB (medium goods vehicles) and NC (heavy goods vehicles). These categories describe a vehicle’s passenger or goods-carrying use and maximum loaded weight. EECA assesses the vehicle criteria before a model is added to its approved list, so choose the listed model through its approved supplier or converter. Model approval addresses the vehicle-class requirement; the operator must also meet the funding conditions.
Vehicles must meet current road rules and safety equipment requirements: electronic stability control, electronic lane-safety warning and automatic emergency braking. Technologies must be commercially available, rather than an initial demonstration. Vehicles unable to exceed 70 km/h are excluded, as are biofuel vehicles, e-axle trailers, non-plug-in diesel hybrids, and charging or hydrogen-refuelling infrastructure. Public-transport buses contracted by a public transport authority and funded wholly or partly through the National Land Transport Fund are excluded; other qualifying buses and coaches can be eligible.
Factory-new zero-emission vehicles cannot have a previous road registration in any country; new-conversion vehicles must have been unregistered before conversion. An existing vehicle being converted must have been registered only in New Zealand, with first registration within the five years before its application to the approved vehicle list. A used vehicle that was already zero-emission when new does not qualify as a new purchase.
Fuel-cell vehicles must use green hydrogen: hydrogen made by water electrolysis using renewable electricity, with the fund’s definition specifying 100% or near 100% renewable energy and no more than 1 kg of CO2-equivalent emissions per kg of hydrogen. Hydrogen-diesel vehicles must use an external supply of green hydrogen, not hydrogen produced aboard the vehicle. Plug-in diesel-electric hybrids need an externally chargeable battery and a hybrid system fixed to the vehicle, not a trailer. Hybrid/dual-fuel vehicles must be capable of at least 30% emissions reduction.
A supplier can import an eligible vehicle for its own use without Motor Vehicle Trader registration, subject to EECA’s assessment and the customer funding cap. An own-use or related-company transaction requires a group structure chart and evidence of costs, including intra-group cost breakdowns. EECA limits funding to costs reasonable between unrelated parties. The supplier Invitation to Register (ITR) also requires a non-registered-trader applicant to demonstrate that purchasing through a registered trader is not possible.
How to apply
- Κατάσταση
- Ανοιχτό συνεχώς
Contact an approved supplier or converter on the official fund page. The supplier helps complete the Customer Vehicle Application Form and submits it to EECA for approval; ordinary operators do not submit direct grant applications. Conversions are assessed case by case. Do not rely on retrospective support: new sales or conversions before the customer application form is signed are not funded.
Provide your legal entity, NZ business and GST registration details, the proposed vehicle, costs, planned use, location, distance, charging/fuelling arrangements and emissions-saving estimates. Sign the customer section confirming accuracy and consent to sharing service/usage data with EECA, which retains the dataset and can publish anonymised summaries. The supplier collects the required monitoring information.
EECA confirms the approved maximum grant through the supplier; later price increases do not increase that commitment. Registration, re-registration or conversion must be completed within the agreed period, no more than 18 months after the vehicle contract. Approval of an unpaid grant can be cancelled for missed timing, ineligibility, insolvency or removal of the model from the approved list; termination of the vehicle contract cancels its grant approval.
Applications are first come, first served while funding remains; the fund needs to be fully committed by 2028 and may close earlier if exhausted. A business wishing to join as a supplier/converter uses the separate online Invitation to Register process, signs the supplier agreement and obtains vehicle-list approval. The supplier-registration deadline is 30 May 2028 at 12 am New Zealand time, or earlier if funds are exhausted. Suppliers need the required registration, local service capability and track record; converters need the heavy-automotive engineering qualification or accepted equivalent. Suppliers also retain programme records for at least three years after their agreement ends and allow EECA audits.