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Rodney drivers who own electric vehicles (EVs) may have noticed a limited number of charging stations around the area, particularly outside the main towns.
But this could soon be about to change.
The government is updating the way it co-invests in public EV chargers with the private sector to accelerate the delivery of EV chargers across New Zealand.
Minister of Transport Chris Bishop said NZ needed more EV chargers.
“We have fewer public chargers per EV than many other countries in the OECD, and we know that this is a barrier to Kiwis purchasing EVs.”
“People buying an EV need confidence that they can charge where and when they need to on a comprehensive public network.
“The number of EV charge points (as of December 31, 2024) is 1378 – around one for every 84 EVs (battery electric and plug in hybrid). The government is targeting 10,000 by 2030, so that there will be one public charge point to around 40 EVs. This will remove people’s ‘range anxiety’ and make owning an EV as easy as possible.”
He added, “The government will therefore utilise the highly successful Ultra-Fast Broadband model to accelerate the roll-out of EV chargers.
“Under the status quo, the private sector is reluctant to invest in charging infrastructure until there’s sufficient demand, but demand for charging won’t grow until the purchase of EVs stops being hampered by a lack of public charging. This chicken-and-egg situation is hampering the roll-out and justifies government action.”
Since 2016 government investment in EV chargers has consisted of direct grants.
“This made sense when the market for public EV charging was being established. This model is now outdated, with EVs now making up over two per cent of the light vehicle fleet, and expected to make up around 11 per cent by 2030,” Bishop said.
“A range of charge point operators have now also entered the market. The government is moving to a more sophisticated, commercial procurement model. We have set aside up to $68.5 million in currently held grant funding to provide concessionary loans to private operators to co-invest in public EV charging infrastructure.
“Loans will be quicker to implement and will help achieve the government’s objectives with less complexity, cost and risk.
“Concessionary loans will bring forward private investment in public EV charging infrastructure by lowering the cost of capital. They will also provide better value for money by maximising private sector investment while keeping the taxpayers’ contribution to a minimum.”
Minister of Energy Simon Watts said EVs made a huge amount of sense for New Zealand.
“With our bountiful renewable energy resources EVs are a winner for New Zealand. Kiwis charging their EVs are essentially filling their cars with predominantly water, wind, and geothermal energy – rather than fossil fuels – due to our high level of renewable energy.”
