Plugged in to automotive industry changes

This story first appeared in the May issue of EVTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

Paul O’Connor has a ‘lead’ on New Zealand’s electric vehicle industry.

Not content with just importing EV charge cables, O’Connor has come up with his own safe product, that meets Kiwi rules.

He’s so happy with it that he’s quitting the car yard he owns to concentrate on making the charging apparatus a growing project in his OEM Audio business in Christchurch.

It’s goodbye to his REM Cars dealership (REM was a name made up from his children’s initials) and a step up to his OEM (O’Connor Electronic Marketing) Audio business with EV cables.

“I think it will become a bigger part of the OEM Audio business,” he says.

It’s taken about four months to develop the product.

“We have different standards here, even to Australia, and I had to ensure it is completely safe,” O’Connor says.

With the help of friends in the electrical trade, O’Connor completely rewired a charging cable he had been working on.

“Even the wiring colours were changed. And I changed the three-pin plug too.”

About the only things he kept from the original were three LEDs.

“I haven’t cut any corners. I’ve used the best available.”

EV buyers should not be using the lead that comes from Japan and plugging it in to the wall or adapting it, O’Connor says.

Tinkering with chargers that can plug in to 230 volt systems is “scary”, he admits.

“It’s horrific some of the things people do – in some cases I’ve heard about I wonder how good their public liability insurance is.”
A safe, quality product was his prime concern.

“I have all the required safety certifications and it has been thoroughly tested here. I wasn’t prepared to go into full production until I had all my ducks in a row.”

O’Connor has had considerable interest in his charger, which retails for $699 including GST.

Depending on the battery, charging can take just six to eight hours, usually overnight in the home garage. That means the owner can take advantage of lower night rates for power use.

O’Connor rang around EV dealers from Auckland south and had interest from 25 of them.

His first lot of product sold out quickly so he’s making sure the factory he uses puts out a new batch every fortnight.

O’Connor has found some less obvious advantages to charging at home and using EVs that have improved range.

“I don’t have to stop at a service station and buy a peanut slab or coffee on my way home.”