National pledges to build 10k EV chargers by 2030

National leader Christopher Luxon has promised to build 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers by the end of the decade if the party comes into power following this year’s election.

Luxon stated that the party would invest $257 million into what is being called the ‘Supercharging EV Infrastructure’ policy to build the chargers.

He also said that they won’t just be focused on major cities, but rather the whole of New Zealand.

“Supercharging EV Infrastructure is part of National’s plan to rebuild the economy.” says Luxon.

“Around 20 per cent of New Zealand’s total emissions come from transport, so embracing EVs is crucial to delivering our climate change commitments.”

Luxon added that the country’s current EV infrastructure would not be able to keep up with the rising number of electric cars hitting our roads.

At the end of 2020, just 2.3 per cent of New Zealand’s light vehicle fleet sales were made up of EVs. By the end of 2022, that number had risen to nearly 11 per cent.

The plan was lauded by Drive Electric Chairman Mark Gilbert, who said that decarbonising the transport sector is critical to tackling climate change and hitting the country’s emissions targets.

“The advantages to New Zealand are obvious: fewer emissions, less air pollution, energy independence (from fossil fuels), and cheaper transport bills for families,” says Gilbert.

“New Zealand’s public charging infrastructure is lagging behind, and so we strongly support any additional investment to create a world-class network of chargers for EV drivers today and tomorrow.

“Eventually, almost all New Zealanders will come to depend on this network, directly or indirectly.”

National has previously stated that it will abolish the Clean Car Standard if it gets in, something that its leader thinks unfairly punishes people who have no electric alternatives for vehicles like utes.