ChargeNet, Aotearoa New Zealand’s nationwide EV charging network says the National Party’s policy shows a commitment to electrify New Zealand’s transport fleet and transition away from fossil fuels.

ChargeNet CEO, Danusia Wypych says this policy announcement demonstrates there is strong alignment across the political spectrum to support increased uptake of renewable energy and decarbonise New Zealand’s transport systems.

“We strongly support the bipartisan approach to climate change and the role of renewable electric transport,” she says. “It is reassuring to see our major political parties giving this the attention it deserves. New Zealanders could soon see the benefits from both sound policy and direct action.”

“National’s policy illustrates a desire to ensure New Zealanders can access affordable and renewable energy to fuel their everyday lives. Committing to making it easier to charge an EV on the go will increase the confidence of New Zealand drivers as they choose to drive their first EVs.”

Danusia Wypych says the country’s only end-to-end network is ready to continue investing in public infrastructure to support communities and drivers to adopt EVs, and the company welcomes policies and processes that would enable more public charging in more spaces without companies being penalised for moving first.

“We have direct experience of some of the challenges National has identified with connection processes and costs. Ensuring prompt investment in EV charging infrastructure across New Zealand is a way to ensure everyone wins as we transition to a low carbon future. 

“In addition to the meaningful changes National are proposing, there are a number of quick wins that can be implemented to support continued EV charging investment and to work with the network companies who have such a challenging and important role to play in the years ahead,” she says.

“We've invested in understanding the challenges not just from our own perspective, but also the constraints on network companies and other parts of the energy ecosystem.  Both the Electricity Authority and the Commerce Commission have options within their current tool kits to provide guidance and support to the network companies and the sector.”

The Electrify NZ policy commitment focuses on increasing renewable electricity generation to replace fossil fuel energy and transport, remove red tape for renewable energy generation, and eliminate consents for upgrades to existing transmission and local lines infrastructure.

Danusia Wypych says ChargeNet will continue its work with government and with partners across the energy sector, so that investment in public charging infrastructure remains in step with demand, and to ensure a smooth transition to decarbonised transport.

“If we truly want to achieve our national ambition of a net zero emissions economy by 2050, we must continue to incentivise the rapid uptake of electric vehicles by building resilient and comprehensive public charging infrastructure network,” she says.