New fast charging stations for Wellington

Three new electric vehicle fast-charge stations have been installed in Wellington.

Contact Energy, ChargeNet NZ and the Wellington City Council agreed to quadruple the city’s fast-charging infrastructure, putting the three at Barnett Street near Te Papa, Grey Street near the Lambton Quay shopping district, and Inglewood Place near the Courtenay Place entertainment zone.

Contact Energy says the chargers will help reduce carbon emissions from transport which produces almost a fifth of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas.

“With almost all of our electricity produced from renewable sources, it makes sense to use this advantage to help decarbonise the economy,” Contact chief generation and development officer James Kilty says.

“EVs produce 80% 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, and is 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 mind-set from the five-minute petrol stops that people are used to,” Wellington City Council mayor Justin Lester says.

“You’re going to be there at least 10 minutes, so the ideal charging site is a place where there is something to do.

“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.”

High tech, super quick, large capacity chargers like the ones installed in Wellington are gaining popularity as they can charge an EV with enough energy to drive from Wellington to Levin (97km) in around 20 minutes.

“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,” ChargeNet NZ chief executive officer Steve West says.

“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.”