Range anxiety will soon be a thing of the past for Rotorua’s EV owners, with the launch of new hyper-rapid EV chargers
that provide an improved, quicker charging experience, and double Rotorua’s EV charging capacity. The announcement comes
just in time for World EV Day this Friday 9 September 2022.
The new ChargeNet EV charging hub is up and running at Rotorua Central in the city’s CBD. It was installed with the
support of the government’s Low Emission Transport Fund (LETF), which is administered by EECA (the Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Authority) and site hosts Pukeroa Oruawhata Holdings Ltd.
The hub is the newest of ChargeNet’s hyper-rapid charging sites, which are Aotearoa New Zealand’s fastest publicly
available EV chargers. ChargeNet also has hyper-rapid sites located in Bombay, Taupo, and Kaiwaka in Northland, as well
as an additional 280 rapid DC charging stations across the country.
ChargeNet Marketing and Communications Manager Bailey Gorst says the world-class initiative demonstrates that as a
country, Aotearoa New Zealand is keeping pace with technological developments and supporting the next generation of
electric vehicles.
“A reliable electric vehicle charging network is essential for large-scale EV adoption, in particular charging hubs that
can charge multiple vehicles at once, so drivers can travel longer distances between cities without worrying about
queuing or congestion. The new site is conveniently positioned in central Rotorua, and will allow drivers to quickly add
hundreds of kilometres of range in the time it takes to stop for coffee or do some quick shopping,” she says.
Specific EV models can charge at the 300kW hyper-rapid chargers six times faster than on ChargeNet’s standard 50kW
charging stations, enabling the newest generation of EVs to add up to 400km of charge in just 15 minutes, and providing
an improved charging experience for short range EVs such as Nissan Leafs. Charging is available for four Combined
Charging System (CCS) vehicles at up to 300kW and two CHAdeMO vehicles at up to 62kW across four bays.
The new site is part of ChargeNet’s commitment to install an additional 400 charging points across the country, which
will include 50kW, 75kW, 150kW and 300kW rapid and hyper-rapid charging points.
Additional charging points will be installed at around locations throughout the country over the next 36 months, and are
a key part of ChargeNet’s growth strategy. The charging points will provide Kiwi motorists with significantly more
charging capacity and support the country’s transition to a net zero emissions economy.
ChargeNet is planning an announcement around the installation of hyper-rapid charging stations in Bulls in the coming
months.