Electric Kiwi and Evnex partner on EV charging

EV charging is about to get cheaper and could also help reduce carbon emissions due to a new partnership between Electric Kiwi and smart EV charging firm Evnex.

Electric Kiwi is working with Evnex to give Electric Kiwi customers money off their new installed smart EV charger, the option of an interest-free payment plan to pay off the rest, and access to Electric Kiwi’s MoveMaster power plan which offers cheap off-peak day rates and half-price overnight rates (from 11pm to 7am). Everyone also has access to Electric Kiwi’s free “Hour of Power”.

“Electric vehicles are becoming more popular, but as Kiwis gradually switch from petrol to electric, this is going to put more pressure on our energy infrastructure and potentially even create larger or additional peak demand periods as owners charge them,” says Electric Kiwi chief executive Luke Blincoe.

“Innovative companies like Evnex are across all this, which is why they’ve designed their technology to help reduce the carbon footprint of New Zealand’s growing fleet of electric vehicles, because the greater the peak demand, the more dirty power generation is currently required to meet it,” he adds.

“Money off the Evnex installed charger is a nice bonus for our customers, but we’re especially proud that we can make life easier for EV owners by providing a payment plan to pay off the remaining balance of their charger over 12 months, with the cost simply added to their energy bills. This is going to make charging even more accessible and even more affordable thanks to our low power prices overnight.”

The Evnex smart charger means that customers can power their EV at times where power is more  likely to be generated from cleaner energy sources, with the bonus of knowing they’re paying cheap  prices, too.

Blincoe adds: “We want to deliver real-world, practical solutions to genuinely support the energy transition, rather than just talking about doing green things. And we do so with a mind to saving our customers money, too.”

So, what’s the deal?

Electric Kiwi customers can get $150 off the purchase price of their installed Evnex smart charger, as well as the option to pay off the remaining balance over 12 months via an interest-free payment plan. This will be added to their Electric Kiwi bills. Though, they can pay the total price upfront if they wish.

Evnex manages the installation of charging devices, with the total price determined by property type and installation cost. Prices start from $2295 (including GST) for a smart charger and standard installation.

Evnex founder and chief executive Ed Harvey says that if smart charging is kept simple and accessible, it could influence even greater EV uptake.

“Smart charging will future-proof New Zealand’s electricity network, as well as help support lower emissions,” he says.

The Electric Kiwi team is working on several other projects to help Kiwis make smart technology-based decisions to support the transition to renewable energy, at the same time as reducing their power bills.

Current EV owners, or anyone interested in getting one, can check partnership details here.