With the rate of electric vehicle (EV) adoption accelerating, it’s clear EVs are going to be central to achieving a clean energy future for New Zealand. Looking at global figures, it’s been predicted that the volume of EVs on the roads is set to reach 125 million by 2030 ¹. 

Take a look below at the EV charging activity on our network in the past 12 months to 30 June 2018.

1. 190% increase in EV charging sessions, a figure that supports Ministry of Transport data that shows EV uptake in New Zealand is sky rocketing. 

2. 66,000 charging sessions across our network of 18 Vector rapid  EV chargers, compared to 22,700 sessions the previous year. 

3. In total, there were 590 megawatt hours of electricity consumed during the charging sessions, which is enough energy to drive your average EV to France and back 87 times (at the speed limit, and as the crow flies).

4. Collectively the 66,000 charging sessions have saved 639,000 kilograms of CO2e emissions from entering the atmosphere. 

5. We’ve recently been trialling two-way EV chargers which can transform EVs into mobile power sources. In this capacity, a vehicle could be used to introduce extra power to buildings, as a cheaper power source during peak-hour consumption or even to power your home during an outage. 
    

Of course, there are still challenges to overcome in the bigger EV picture including ensuring that the electricity network infrastructure can handle the surge in demand. We’re working to understand exactly how the rise of EVs will impact the way electricity is distributed across our networks, so supply can always meet demand. 

Challenges aside, if you add solar and battery technology into the mix with vehicle-to-grid chargers, we have a future-ready energy ecosystem that will diversify energy distribution, lower carbon emissions and reduce consumer costs.