Alpine Energy apologises for EV charger reliability issues

Alpine Energy has issued a public apology for ongoing reliability problems with electric vehicle (EV) chargers affecting drivers travelling through Geraldine and the Mackenzie Country.

The South Canterbury electricity distributor acknowledges the issues and lengthy repair times have been particularly frustrating during the busy summer travel period, when drivers rely on dependable charging infrastructure.

“Alpine Energy acknowledge these issues and the length of time taken to resolve them have been frustrating, particularly over the busy summer travel period when people rely on a quick, dependable charging stop,” the company says in a statement.

Repair challenges with legacy equipment

Alpine Energy says some faults have taken longer than expected to fix due to the need for specialist equipment from Australia and the complexity of diagnosing and repairing older charging infrastructure.

“Some faults have taken longer than expected to fix due to the specialist equipment from Australia and the complexity of diagnosing and repairing older, legacy charging equipment,” the company says.

Alpine Energy says it recognises these technical challenges do not lessen the impact on drivers who depend on the charging network for regional travel.

The affected chargers appear on ChargeNet’s charging network system but are owned and serviced by Alpine Energy rather than ChargeNet directly.

Network review underway

Alpine Energy says it is actively reviewing its EV charging fleet and future operating options to improve both reliability and fault response times.

The company says updates on improvements will be shared as soon as they become available.

Alpine Energy operates the electricity distribution network serving over 33500 homes and businesses across South Canterbury. The company describes its purpose as empowering the region’s communities with secure, reliable energy while supporting New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

Drivers with questions about the charging network can contact Alpine Energy’s Customer Care Team at mailbox@alpineenergy.co.nz.