Hutt City joins local govt EV frenzy

Councils around New Zealand have been quick to join the EV revolution.

Since transport minister Simon Bridges announced the government’s electric vehicle policy, there has been a concerted effort by many local councils and publicly-funding organisations to develop EV-specific policies.

Hutt City has set up the first free park in the area that’s on public land – with three hour free park for vehicles plugged in to the adjacent charging station.

Fully-charged vehicles will be asked to move on, to ensure the charging station is used by everyone who needs to access it.

The car park offers both Type 1 (32 Amp) and Type 2 (32 Amp 3-phase) charging options. These recharge an electric vehicle with about 35km and 100km of driving range per hour respectively.

There are currently over 150 electric vehicles registered in the greater Wellington region. The car park is in central Lower Hutt on Steven’s Grove, next to The Dowse Art Museum.

Lower Hutt mayor Ray Wallace says, “Lower Hutt is a leader in technology and innovation so it makes sense to have this charging infrastructure in place. I would like to see these stations widely available throughout the country.”

“We’ve put the charging station in a great location so people can plug-in and enjoy the city; look around one of the country’s best art galleries, visit a nearby café, go for a swim in nearby Huia Pool or do some shopping in the central business district.”

The council’s eco design adviser Martin Barry is happy with the public investment in the charging station “We are responding to an existing demand and helping to encourage more electric vehicles on our roads. Councils are in a good position to support the market for electric vehicles and I hope to see other councils around the country doing their bit.

He also said Z Petone and PAK’nSAVE Petone have charging stations.