Home charging launch from Evnex

Christchurch-based Evnex, which designs intelligent charging solutions for EVs, is launching its R-Series charge point and free mobile app for the home.

The product is one of the most cost effective 7kW charge points on the market, giving customers the confidence of a future-proof solution and vastly improved charging speed and safety over portable leads that use a 10A home socket, the company says.

Evnex describes the project as one of the first New Zealand-made intelligent charging solutions designed for the home.

“As our service evolves, our mobile app will help reward customers who charge at the most cost-effective times, while reducing fossil fuel consumption and minimising impact on the grid.”

The company’s vision is for a future where EVs are powered entirely from renewable energy.

Evnex was founded in 2014 by Ed Harvey, a Canterbury University-trained electronics engineer who had converted his Honda Accord to electric some years earlier and considered EVs had an important part to play in New Zealand’s transport future.

The company has recently moved to larger premises leased in Brougham Street in Christchurch to provide more space and to house a growing team.

As EV range and battery size has increased over the last couple of years, it’s become clear that the charging requirements of a national fleet of EVs could cause significantly increased load on our electricity infrastructure, Evnex says.

“Although New Zealand has an excellent supply of renewable electricity generation, this increased load has the potential to offset some of the benefits of driving an EV, most notably, an increased reliance on non-renewable electricity sources.”

Many earlier EV adopters are aware of these issues, but the later majority is likely to be less so, comparing the charging of their EV to filling up at the pump, in which case the time of the day has no effect on the environmental or financial impact, the company says.

In looking at these issues, Evnex realised there was a market need for a faster home charging product that made it easy for drivers to understand and reduce the costs and environmental impact of running their vehicle, while being cost competitive with portable charging leads that are common in NZ.

A core focus of the business has always been sustainability.

“Sustainability is massive for us,” Evnex chief executive officer Ed Harvey says.

“We believe many of our customers will appreciate the effort that we’ve put into designing a product that reflects their values. Not only is our product designed and made in NZ, but we’ve entirely cut out single use plastic packaging, and every charge point sold supports permanent native reforestation in NZ through the purchase of carbon credits.”

About 120 of its units were recently ordered for installation in Auckland.

Evnex employs a Christchurch team of designers, engineers, and energy market experts passionate about EVs and building quality NZ made products.

It’s privately owned and has been supported by leading NZ investment groups over a number of capital raising rounds.

Launching its new charging solution on August 12, Evnex is also offering special pricing for a limited time.

Visit www.evnex.com for more information.