Evnex launches new smart charger

EV owners can track how much carbon is being emitted to charge their car and see if the power being used is generated from hydro, wind, solar, gas, or coal, in newly released technology.

The E2 is Christchurch-based Evnex’s next-generation smart charger.

It helps EV drivers make better decisions about their charging, not leaving emissions to chance, with the E2’s features including carbon monitoring tools, said to be the first commercial offering of its type outside the US and Europe.

Accessing live data it measures the electricity grid’s carbon intensity and updates users, also giving EV owners the ability to track and measure carbon emissions from their previous charging sessions. These features will also be rolled out for free to existing Evnex chargers.

Evnex founder and chief executive Ed Harvey says swapping petrol cars for EVs is only part of meeting New Zealand’s carbon-neutral goals.

“An EV isn’t a zero-emission car if fossil fuels are burnt to power it,” he explains.

“Clean charging – using electricity generated from renewable sources – enables drivers to reduce their footprint and take better care of the climate.

“As NZ’s EV fleet grows, we should charge EVs using clean energy to fully maximise their impact.”

Around 80% of New Zealand’s energy is generated from renewable sources, but this can fluctuate depending on demand.

Evnex uses data from Energy Market Services, which provides carbon intensity information every 30 minutes. It then tracks charging against these periods, which provides an overall measure of charging emissions.

“People can see exactly where their power is coming from and make real-time decisions to pause or even defer charging if more energy than usual is being produced from fossil fuels,” says Harvey. “Looking forward, we are hoping to use the data we gather to automate charging, so it happens when electricity is at its cleanest.

“Alongside real-time data, the new technology provides valuable long-term insights into carbon use,” he adds.

“As a result, we believe this can directly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

“We want to empower drivers to alter their charging behaviour and minimise the unnecessary carbon footprint generated when EVs are charged with gas or coal-generated electricity.”

Evnex’s new E2 charger has been two years in development and is made from 70% bio-circular plastic.

It has a power rating of 7.4kW, comes with a five-metre tethered cable, and a ‘Charge Now’ function which enables users to override pre-set charging schedules with the tap of a finger rather than logging into an app on their phone.

Watch the Evnex E2 launch recording here.