Govt breaks EV chargers promise, says Labour

The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers – less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its 2024 target, says Labour.

“National missing its own self-imposed first target to install 670 chargers this year is yet another broken promise from this government,” says Labour energy and climate spokesperson Megan Woods.

“National has cut $3 billion from climate initiatives, scrapped the Clean Car Discount, repealed the ban on oil and gas exploration, prioritised destructive sea-bed mining over offshore wind electricity generation, and scrapped funding that helped big emitters transition to renewable energy,” she says.

A “dashboard” displayed by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) sets out the 1249 operational charging points and other information.

National outlined its goal of having 10,000 EV chargers by 2030 before the last election, transport minister Simeon Brown reportedly saying funding had been approved this year for 521 EV charging points.

The coalition government also expects to still meet the 10,000 EV chargers by 2030 target.