Government reveals plan to cover country in EV charging stations

The New Zealand Government has revealed its first national EV charging strategy which outlines plans to cover most of the country in electric car charging hubs.

It’s called Charging Our Future and states that almost every town across the nation will receive an electric charging station along with hubs dotted across nearly all of the main highway network.

The strategy details that charging hubs will be placed every 150 to 200km along state highways while most towns will receive a public charger for 20 to 40 EVs. Public charging is also planned for all settlements with 2000 or more people.

“Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, convenient, and reliable,” Transport Minister Michael Wood said.

“Emissions from our light vehicle fleet are the single largest source of transport emissions in New Zealand, partially due to having some of the most fuel inefficient and emissions intensive vehicles in the OECD.”

He added that such vehicles are the reason its costing New Zealanders at the pump while they continue to damage our health and the environment.

“Switching to EVs would be like buying petrol for 40c per litre, which would make a big difference for household budgets.”

However, he doesn’t mention the average cost of an electric car in New Zealand which was approximately $68,000 just last year according to the Motor Trade Association (via Canstar). Even at the most affordable end of the scale, you’re still paying over $40,000 for the likes of a new MG ZS.

“These new targets carefully balance facilitating infrastructure to support different trips and journeys that EV drivers make, while ensuring that rural and provincial New Zealand locations are accessible for residents and visitors with EVs,” Wood said.

“The success of our clean car policies mean there are more than 69,000 EVs on our roads, over 80 per cent more than at the end of 2021.

“This strategy will ensure we can sustain the uptake of EVs as we see more people making the switch.”