ChargeNet NZ electric vehicle charging station installed at Whanganui's Pak'nSave supermarket

Whanganui's new electric vehicle charger fills a key gap in central New Zealand infrastructure, Whanganui District councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay says.

The ChargeNet NZ station for electric vehicles (EVs) has been installed at Pak'nSave supermarket on the Victoria Ave-Glasgow St corner.

Chandulal-Mackay and fellow councillor Hadleigh Reid have been lobbying for an easily-accessible charger to be installed in Whanganui.

"Hadleigh and I approached Whanganui & Partners and ChargeNet about the end of 2016 to kick the process off and get informal lobbying under way," Chandulal-Mackay said.

"Until this charger was installed, there was a vital part of the network missing from this part of the region. There's now a network from Wellington right up to New Plymouth.

"The chargers also incentivise people to make the switch from petroleum-powered cars to EVs. Being able to charge their vehicle quickly, rather than overnight for 12 hours in their garage, is key to enabling that transition."

The DC rapid charger is a much larger version of the onboard charger, and converts high power 3-phase AC into powerful DC current. Bypassing the onboard charger dramatically reduces the charge time, usually to less than 30 minutes.