Second EV charging station opens in Southland

A fast charging station has opened in Winton, Southland, just before Christmas.

It’s at 293 Great North Road in the Winton New World car park.

The ChargeNet NZ installation is supported by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) through its low emission vehicles contestable fund.

It’s part of a commitment to install rapid-charge EV stations across the region and forms an important component of the Southland network, ChargeNet says.

The Winton station is the second opened in the region after Invercargill and is expected to alleviate range anxiety between the two centres.

Further installations are planned in Gore, Garston and Lumsden.

“ChargeNet sees Southland as a strategically important part of our nation-wide network, and we were pleased to be able to work with PowerNet to install the charger at a suitable location in Winton,” ChargeNet chief executive Steve West says.

PowerNet chief executive Jason Franklin says the opening is a key part of its commitment to support renewable energy and a more sustainable Southland.

“We manage significant network assets across Southland and Otago and we envisage some major changes taking place as more people transition from fossil fuel vehicles to electric,” Franklin says.

ChargeNet has 60 chargers connected to its network nationwide and aims to have more than 105 stations by the end of 2018.