ChargeSmart is all about smart charging

This story first appeared in the March issue of Evtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

Getting smart about charging electric vehicles is what new company ChargeSmart is all about.

Founder and chief executive officer Nigel Broomhall, who has a wealth of experience in the EV industry, reckons the switch to EVs could save the country $11.7 billion.

He’s included a breakdown in a video outlining Auckland-based ChargeSmart’s mission.

Totally focused on EV charging, Broomhall says it should be smart – using Wi Fi and 3G or more – with local control and connectable to third parties; WorkSafe compliant; future proofed for about five years or more; and should look smart too.

“After all, many will have chargers outside their houses or commercial lots and they don’t want an ugly piece of hardware or street furniture.”
Broomhall says charging your EV should be done in the smartest possible way – using the cheapest power rates, managing electricity capacity and use, and keeping on top of costs.

He should know, having more than nine years’ experience in the EV industry, starting in 2009 when he ran Meridian Energy’s EV programme, then building a profitable EV charging business for investors.

“Now it’s time to build something even bigger,” he says.

ChargeSmart offers charger options most suitable to a customer’s needs, whether they’re a home owner buying their first EV, a business considering chargers for its fleet or staff, a developer planning to make their project “EV ready” or seeking fast to ultra-fast public charging solutions.

Charging can range from simple “plug ’n go” to “free or fee” methods with the ability to turn on payment later if needed.

Selecting the right charger boils down to how you want to use it, Broomhall says.

AC charging, for instance, is slow but can be done at home while the owner is asleep – prompting one customer to say he’s got three-second charging because it’s switched on just before he sleeps and is finished when he wakes up.

DC fast-charging is quicker than AC but more expensive, often the cost running into tens of thousands, with chargers ranging from 24kW to about 350kW.

Installation may depend on the energy supply available too.

It’s suitable for fleets and fast turnaround operations.

DC charging involves the EV and charger “talking” to each other first so that the right amount of charge is delivered.

Meanwhile, back to those $11.7 billion savings.

Broomhall says the basis of savings calculation includes the fact that Kiwis drove 11,691km on average per light vehicle in 2018 (MoT), the average EV here gets 5.66km/kWh, the total meaning an average EV would use 2066kWh of energy per year.

His calculation compares a super-efficient Toyota Corolla sipping liquid fuel at a miserly cost of $0.
1955 per kilometre against an EV.

The cost of running a Corolla over all kilometres driven (we all drove 48 billion km last year) is $9.42b pa.

In comparison, 48b km in an EV costs $2.47b – the difference $6.95b, or $1685 a year in your back pocket.

While the diesel cost includes road user charges (RUC) you could recalculate this and apply it to EVs, Broomhall says.

Applying RUC drops the savings down to $3.68b a year.

According to the AA, the average ICE costs $550 annually to service, excluding tyres.

Tony Seba, a global economist based in California and author of Rethinking Transport 2020-2030, estimates that EVs cost on average 80% less to maintain.

Across the entire light fleet (including light commercials) that’s $2.27b to maintain ICE vehicles, while maintaining EVs will cost $453m in comparison.

That’s a country saving of $1.8b, or $440 a year in your back pocket.

Seba also highlights that EVs should get 800,000km+ with minimum servicing.

Then there’s health cost savings in switching to electric.

Gross Domestic Product was $300b in 2017 – the World Health Organisation estimates that in developed countries pollution from petrol and diesel engines costs 1%.In New Zealand $3b in health costs are related to respiratory illness, heart disease, and premature death.

Adding all these figures equals $11.79b.

Grid upgrades will be needed but savings are still expected with smart charging.

The cost of manufacturing EVs needs to come down so the purchase price is cheaper, but this is going to happen aggressively over the next five years, and it will keep declining, Broomhall believes.

He says there’s also economic benefits associated with a positive contribution to New Zealand’s 100% Pure brand, especially around eco-tourism.

Savings would also come through encouraging scrapping of older vehicles, while new cars have the benefit of many safety features.

When EVs hit 2% of all light vehicles, road user charges are expected to kick in, with $0.
5913 per kilometre for RUC equalling about $2.7b, GST adding $427m for a combined additional cost of $3.
27b.

“Therefore the actual savings when RUC are applied to all EVs when all light vehicles are electric is only $8.52b.”

Broomhall has also produced a 27-page guide designed to increase a potential applicant’s chances of getting funding for EV related projects from the Government’s low emission vehicles contestable fund, produced through his Break Point Consulting business.

He is now offering the guide for $20, the money to go to the Heart Kids national charity helping children with congenital heart defects and childhood heart disease.

Visit www.breakpoint.nz for more on the guide and https://www.chargesmart.co.nz for more information about smart charging.