AC charging developer plans national rollout

Hikotron has launched EV charging stations using AC rather than DC charging, starting with a public facility at the Waikato Innovation Park at Ruakura, Hamilton.

A locally designed and manufactured smart charging solution, Hikotron intends rolling out the technology throughout New Zealand, beginning in Waikato with sites planned for a range of locations around the region ready in early 2022.

The Hikotron EV charging station design is based on learnings from proven European AC Type 2 socket infrastructure, with further high-tech improvements including two pending patents that address common EV charging infrastructure pain points.

C0-founders Ron Smits, Stephanie Smits O’Callaghan and Lawrence Muijlwijk returned to New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing their experiences from Europe and as EV owners.

“What struck me immediately was that while there was desire for EV ownership in New Zealand, the infrastructure required to support this is lacking and focuses predominantly on fast DC charging in an attempt to replicate the legacy petrol model of ‘filling up your car’ when empty,” Smits says.

“Having lived in London and travelled throughout Europe as an EV owner, I learned that a range of charging options both slow and fast, and a greater number of them, along with the ability to charge your car where it is normally parked, offers convenience for EV owners and is the best use of New Zealand’s electricity grid.”

As an engineer, Smits and his business partners designed and manufactured their own solution for an AC charging network enabling EV owners to travel from destination to destination with the confidence they can charge their vehicles upon arrival.

Waikato Innovation Park is a hub for technology and innovation businesses, providing the best facilities for the business community, so have this EV charging technology was ideal for its operations manager Catherine Clark.

“We have just completed our newest build, with planning and construction underway on a series of other buildings. With more businesses relocating from outside of the Waikato and utilising the Waikato as a hub for business, supporting electric vehicle charging on-site is just another one of the ways Waikato Innovation Park keeps business moving,” she says.

Hikotron chargers operate through a mobile application which enables users to locate the charger, start and stop the charge, monitor how much power is being drawn while charging and make payment.

The AC chargers can dynamically load share on sites with limited power, will include booking systems, ability to schedule charging times, and load shedding/balancing ability which the grid will require when EVs move into mass adoption, and all chargers’ onboard software can be updated and supported remotely over the air, the company says.

Hikotron is a user-provided cable network, which allows ultimate compatibility for vehicles and avoids being susceptible to damage and other safety issues associated with tethered cables. The cable is locked in place so it cannot be removed or tampered with during a charging session.