Second electric vehicle charging station for Whanganui

There's a Tesla destination charging station near the Whanganui information centre. Photo / Bevan Conley.

Whanganui's best-known Tesla owner is glad the town now has a second public charging point for electric vehicles, even though he won't be using it.

One of Tesla's destination chargers was installed in the car park adjoining Whanganui's i-Site on August 20. It charges cars more slowly than Whanganui's closest Tesla Supercharger which is in Palmerston North's Plaza.

But it will still give a Tesla owner another 50km to 80km of driving if they plug in for an hour.

The new technology is a great contrast to the old school Tram Shed next door, Whanganui Tesla owner Hadleigh Reid said. Whanganui has at least one other Tesla owner, and Reid believes that person works at Whanganui Hospital.

Whanganui's Hadleigh Reid with his Tesla S Model. Photo file / Zaryd Wilson

Reid bought his Tesla a year ago for $130,000 and uses it for everything. Having to think about keeping it charged hasn't really inconvenienced him.

"It's just made me think a little bit differently about where I go and where I have lunch."

Tesla has a range of chargers that work at different speeds. Most Tesla owners have a Wall Connector charger in their garages that will charge their cars 40 to 80km for every hour they are plugged in.

A destination charger like the one at the i-Site charges at about the same rate. Those chargers tend to be put in places where people want to stay a while.

A Supercharger, like the one in Palmerston North, charges at 600km per hour.

Speed of charging also depends on how full the battery is when it begins, Reid said.

Tesla batteries charge faster when they are empty. As they fill, they heat up and charging gets slower.

They have a different connection to those of other electric cars, but owners can carry an adapter with them. It allows them to hook up to the more common ChargeNet charging stations.

Whanganui has just one ChargeNet station at the Pak'nSave supermarket. It will charge at 200km per hour.

Tesla is actively extending its charging network and gave Whanganui the destination charger at the information centre. It anticipates a lot more Teslas being on the road soon because its Model 3, smaller and priced around $70,000, is arriving in New Zealand.

Tesla owners get an app for their phones which tells them the level of charge in their cars and where the nearest charging point is.

In five years you won't even have to think about where to get your next charge, Reid said.

He finds his car quiet and smooth and said it has good acceleration and good cruise control.

"I'm not a massive greenie, but it's just nice to know you're not polluting the atmosphere, and when you pull in you are not making fumes in your garage."