More chargers for Wellington
Currently, one of the main barriers to EV adoption is a lack of public charging stations, which is why Contact Energy, ChargeNet and Wellington City Council have decided to quadruple the city’s fast-charging infrastructure.
The three new chargers are at Barnett Street near Te Papa, Grey Street near the Lambton Quay shopping district, and Inglewood Place near the Courtenay Place entertainment zone.
“With almost all of our electricity produced from renewable sources, it makes sense to use this advantage to help decarbonise the economy,” says James Kilty, Contact chief generation and development officer.
“EVs produce 80 per cent fewer emissions than petrol-powered cars and are much cheaper to run than a petrol or diesel equivalent.”
Transport makes up the greatest share of Wellington’s greenhouse gas emissions, but it is also one of the areas where policy changes are likely to do the most good, according to the city’s Low Carbon Capital Plan.
EVs have been identified as an effective tool to reduce transport emissions, and the plan will set aside 100 car parks (30 in the CBD, 70 in the suburbs) for EV charging and car share infrastructure.
“Charging on the go takes a shift in mindset from the five-minute petrol stops that people are used to. You’re going to be there at least 10 minutes, so an ideal charging site is a place where there is something to do,” said Wellington City Council mayor Justin Lester.
“This is the infrastructure gap that Wellington City Council is well-placed to fill with the public parking spaces we manage. It’s this kind of partnership and smart thinking that will give us practical ways to tackle climate change, and we’re happy to do our part.”
Currently, there are almost 10,000 EVs in New Zealand, and the Government is hoping to lift this to 64,000 by 2021.
This is being aided by the falling price of new EVs and an increasing number of second-hand vehicles in the market, where prices start at around $10,000.
“One of the critical factors for people when it comes to personal transport is reliability – no one wants to be stuck on the side of the road with a flat battery,” says ChargeNet CEO Steve West.
“This is why we’re building a network of charging stations across the country. The three new chargers we’re installing in Wellington will be a critical link in this network, giving drivers the peace of mind they need to get behind the wheel of an EV.”