Electric vehicles: Plans announced to build New Zealand’s largest charging hub in Tauranga

An artist's impression of the planned EV charging hub for Tauriko in Tauranga.

Plans to build one of “New Zealand’s fastest and largest EV charging hubs” in Tauranga have been announced.

In a statement today, ChargeNet said it planned to install the hub at Tauriko with the ability to charge up to 10 vehicles at once, with a separate area for charging cars towing trailers, campervans and small electric trucks, with an installed capacity of 750 kilowatts.

Stage one of the charging hub was expected to be completed by the end of 2024, and included five 150kW chargers “which can simultaneously add 300 kilometres of range within 20 minutes, enough to power most EV journeys to Auckland, or to Hamilton and back”, the statement said.

The charging hub will use 100 per cent renewable, climate-positive certified electricity that is sourced from wind, hydro and solar energy generation through ChargeNet’s energy partner Ecotricity.

ChargeNet chief executive Danusia Wypych said Tauriko hosted about 26,000 vehicles per day.

“The new charging hub is a part of our plan to double our network to 600 charging points within the next three years – we expect to start rolling out a variety of hubs and destination chargers around the country that are set up so capacity can be ramped up to accommodate increasing demand and utilisation,” Wypych said in the statement.

Wypych said there were three key considerations when building charging hubs like these: location, timing, and providing the right speed.

The new charging hub will be jointly funded by ChargeNet and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) with co-funding from EECA’s Low Emission Transport Fund (LETF).

ChargeNet also announced it planned to develop or refurbish eight electric vehicle charging sites across New Zealand’s regional centres as part of its commitment to provide New Zealanders with more than 600 fast DC charging points.

The new ChargeNet sites, a mix of 75kW and 150kW chargers with charging for four vehicles at each site, will be built in Tairua, Waihī, Paeroa, Whakatāne, Southern Wairarapa, Blenheim, Motueka and Cromwell.

Wypych said the co-funding would enable the company to “strengthen its network capacity in Aotearoa’s most densely populated region – the Golden Triangle, comprising the area between Tauranga, Hamilton, and Auckland”.