The Warehouse launches EV chargers

Media release Embargoed until 10am Tuesday 12 December 2017

Southland leads the electric vehicle charge

For now, no charge to charge

The Warehouse has begun installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at many stores across New Zealand. The network is being launched in Southland with Invercargill to be the first official store where EV owners can plug in to charge their vehicles.

The Warehouse Environment General Manager Greg Nelson says that for now, there’s no charge to charge. Charging a vehicle at The Warehouse will be free of charge for the first few months – thereafter EV drivers may have to pay a small charge for the electricity they put into their vehicle.

The Warehouse has plans for 21 EV charging stations at stores across New Zealand as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability.

Greg Nelson says the initiative is designed to improve access to charging stations for electric vehicles, and is being funded jointly by the Government’s Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund and The Warehouse. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority administers the Government’s fund. Its Chief Executive Andrew Caseley welcomed the Warehouse’s leadership and support for electric vehicles.

“This project, and the promotion of it by the Warehouse, will make EV charging infrastructure highly visible to large numbers of shoppers and that will give confidence to consumers thinking about buying an electric vehicle,” Mr Caseley said.

The Warehouse EV charging stations will be rolled out over the next seven months in Gore, Dunedin, Blenheim, Motueka, Oamaru, Timaru, Christchurch, Hamilton, Matamata, Taupo, Gisborne, Levin, New Plymouth, Masterton, Te Kuiti, Hawera, Porirua, and Palmerston North. The Warehouse Group also has two EV charging stations at its Auckland Store Support Office in Northcote.

The charging stations will be set up at designated parking spaces at the front of the store, capable of charging two vehicles at a time. Customers using the charging stations provide their own cable which plugs into the charger and links to the vehicle.

The Warehouse Invercargill Store Manager Kelvin Mooney says the team are very positive about the charger. “It’s great to be leading the way and that The Warehouse is supporting Southland by installing two EV chargers down here, one at our store in Invercargill and one in Gore.”

The Warehouse Invercargill team member Suzanne Miller drives a Nissan Leaf EV and is delighted she’ll have an EV charging station at the store. “If I need a quick charge, I can pop in and top up,” she says. “It’s great to know that many towns I go to with a Warehouse will have a charger.”

Ms Miller says she likes that her electric car is much cheaper to run than petrol, and easier and cheaper to maintain with fewer moving parts and no oil changes or cam belt. “It’s as fast as petrol cars and the running cost is so cheap,” she says. “And of course it’s good for the environment.”

As well as installing EV charging stations, The Warehouse Group is one of several NZ businesses committed to having 30% of its vehicle fleet as electric vehicles by the end of 2019.

“It’s awesome that we’re able to utilise our scale to support the EV infrastructure in New Zealand and we hope that it encourages more New Zealand motorists to consider an electric vehicle option,” said Mr Nelson.

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