- NZ's largest EV public charging provider has turned 10.
- Launched with one public charger in 2015, now has 520.
- 'Fundamentals all support continued electrification' says company CEO.
The New Zealand electric vehicle (EV) market has had its ups and downs over the past few years, but as it celebrates its 10th year of business, public charging provider ChargeNet says it still consistently sees 40% growth year-on-year.
ChargeNet chief executive Danusia Wypych says the electrification of NZ’s light passenger vehicle fleet is moving rapidly as more innovative and cost effective options come to market: “From a decade ago when ChargeNet’s founders imported the country’s first Tesla, there are now more than 125,000 battery electric and plug in hybrids on our roads, and this number is growing fast.
"In under a decade, EVs have gone from niche to entirely mainstream and we are now seeing business fleets, commercial customers, and trades businesses signing up to use our public EV charging network.
“Over ChargeNet’s decade of operation we’ve seen the inevitable shifts in the market and policy changes but the fundamentals all support continued electrification. There’s now multiple EV ute options, EV vans, China is emerging as an innovative, lower cost EV importer, and government remains committed to partnering with industry on EV infrastructure.
“When fleet orders are being booked in the hundreds, you know the future is arriving,” she says
Founded by Dee and Steve West as a technology start-up when there were only 500 EVs on Kiwi roads. The first ChargeNet fast charger was installed at the Four Square store in the Northland town of Kaiwaka, a convenient stop between Auckland and Whangārei.
ChargeNet now has 520 charging points, from Bluff to Cape Reinga.
In late-2024, Genesis Energy acquired a majority shareholding in ChargeNet as part of its electrification strategy.
“ChargeNet’s own polling shows almost 25 per cent of kiwi already own or are considering buying an EV in the next three years, and this is during a period of sustained economic challenges," says Wypych. "As the economics of EV ownership steadily improve, we are forecasting strong year-on-year growth in EV ownership and demand for public charging.”
Since its launch in September 2015, ChargeNet has served over 40.5 million kWh of EV charging, more than three million charging sessions. The company says this is equivalent to: BEVs driving 202 million km (or one BEV driving 5000 times around the earth), saving 31,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions (equivalent to eliminating 2,100 Auckland to Wellington flights) or emissions savings equivalent to planting 567,000 native trees to absorb carbon for 20 years.