Measures announced today by the Government to support electric vehicle uptake in New Zealand are a great starting point, helping Kiwis wanting to make the switch, and NZ businesses operating in the sector, says Charge Net NZ.
“EV businesses and owners have been waiting for this announcement for a long time”, says Steve West, founder and CEO of Charge Net NZ. “We are very happy to see support from the Government, especially in relation to public charging infrastructure that all Kiwis can benefit from.
Charge Net NZ – the nation’s only non-utility offering rapid charging to the public – were attending the policy launch at the Auckland Museum.
“We’re really pleased to see the Government making this change happen at the same pace it is happening in other countries – we don’t want NZ to get left behind”, said West.
“What we saw today was the government put the ball in the court of some of New Zealand’s biggest companies, and we are really confident they will meet the challenge of converting parts of their fleets to electric. We are looking forward to working with them on it. Thousands and thousands of Kiwis drive ex fleet cars, so it’s a win win”.
Range anxiety is the biggest hurdle to people making the change to EV – research carried out here only last year by Otago University showed that only 10 percent of people would definitely consider an EV even if it was practically free because they are so nervous about running out of juice.
“Having lots of opportunity to charge is really important, even though most charging will happen overnight at home. So its really important to have this infrastructure out there, where people can see it and use it, just like in places like Europe and even China,” said West.
“As the Prime Minister has said, New Zealanders care a lot about two issues EVs solve – keeping money in New Zealand, and protecting our environment. EVs are no longer an if, they are a when, and we think this announcement shows the time is now”.
