\u201cSo they had a couple of presentations where they tried to scare us to death with pictures of cars and flames and things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said management had also tried to \u201cretroactively impose\u201d the policy on existing residents. Since complaints were lodged and a mediation process was started, residents have been left waiting for a resolution. <\/p>\n
Fairview Lifestyle Village has \u201cintroduced a policy for electric vehicle safety\u201d, management says. Photo \/ Raphael Franks<\/p>\n
\u201cThe conditions… seem to us to be unfair and unreasonable in anybody\u2019s interpretation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe suggestion is, with a village full of elderly residents who can\u2019t flee, they\u2019re going to have 120 people burnt to a crisp. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut you look around at the modern car market and the rate at which electric vehicles are coming in, it\u2019s just stunning, and if they were a worldwide hazard that burst into flames and destroyed communities, we\u2019d know about it, but it\u2019s just not there.\u201d <\/p>\n
Several electric vehicle fires have been in the press recently, including a blaze that engulfed an electric bus and killed the driver on T\u0101maki Drive in Auckland last month. <\/p>\n
The deadly and long-lasting fire happened after the bus collided with a car; however, it remained unclear which vehicle started the fire. <\/p>\n
Another fire in October, in a Whang\u0101rei carpark, involved 30 cars going up in flames, including several electric vehicles. The cause was unclear, with Fire and Emergency New Zealand saying initial reports suggested an internal combustion engine vehicle\u2019s exhaust ignited some grass. <\/p>\n
The affected resident also questioned how realistic such a policy was, given the increasing sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. <\/p>\n
However, he said management \u201cjust says no\u201d when disgruntled residents present their argument. <\/p>\n
Management at Fairview Lifestyle Village told the Herald, via a public relations company, it had \u201cintroduced a policy for electric vehicle safety\u201d and said it came after consulting residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe policy is currently subject to a mediation process and the village is unable to provide further detail at this stage,\u201d the village said. <\/p>\n
The Herald understands the policy was put in place before March this year. A village newsletter issued then thanked residents for their feedback since the policy had come into effect. <\/p>\n
Management did not respond to the Herald\u2019s questions about whether the policy covers electric mobility scooters or other electric vehicles.<\/p>\n