Genesis Energy is working with Christchurch based company Evnex to trial new electric vehicle smart charging technology that removes pain points in the adoption of electric vehicles.
Evnex has been at the forefront of developing EV chargers since 2014 and now has a market-leading smart charger that can safely reduce overnight charging to a few hours. The smart charger can also ‘talk’ to electricity lines companies to balance load and help smooth demand on the grid.
Genesis, through its own in-house software development, has added EV Sync, an intelligent feature that connects the smart chargers to its Energy IQ app enabling customers to schedule and automate the most cost effective and emissions-friendly times to charge.
Genesis is using the Evnex smart chargers in another pilot with EV car sharing company Zilch for one of their large corporate clients. It includes the installation of chargers in employee homes as a cost-effective alternative to workplace charging, with the added benefit that the power used can be measured separately from the rest of the house and sent directly to the company for reporting and reimbursement.
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General Manager of Growth & Innovation, Peter Kennedy, says combining the complementary strengths of Genesis and Evnex has the potential to create change.
“We are both customer-focused businesses intent on playing a key role in the country’s transition to a low carbon future. Evnex has one of the leading smart chargers in the market and we’re able to connect it to our systems to help customers, large and small,” Kennedy said.
“One of the keys to a successful transition for the country is to grow the number of EVs from around 30,000 today to an estimated 1.5m by 2035. In teaming up with Evnex and Zilch, and given the size of our customer base, we’re well placed to make a meaningful contribution to helping Kiwis get out of petrol cars, and into electric vehicles with confidence.”
Evnex founder, Ed Harvey, sees charging accessibility and convenience as key factors influencing EV uptake and the driver experience.
“Ensuring that vehicles are charged primarily using low carbon, off-peak electricity is core to Evnex’s mission,” Harvey says.
“Working alongside Genesis makes sense, as their Energy IQ app builds a strong digital engagement with the customer, and therefore an improved visibility of how driver behaviour and choice can influence charging cost and carbon emissions in real time.”
EV Sync has been trialled with customers across the North Island and is expected to be available to Genesis customers by early 2022.
