The New Zealand Government has announced funding of $NZ3.87m for 19 projects to promote and support the use of electric vehicles, and car rental company Jucy is planning a fleet of electric campervans.
The Government’s funding has been made under round four of the government’s Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund. Applications for funding under round five open on 15 August.
Energy and resources minister Megan Woods said the funding would create 22 new public fast charging points and would support demonstrations of light and heavy electric vehicles in sectors of the economy where the technology is relatively unproven.
“Projects to get the go-ahead include a lines maintenance electric truck with an elevating platform; New Zealand’s first all-electric water truck; five supermarket distribution electric trucks; and electric vans with purposes including parks maintenance, rural postal delivery and food rescue,” she said.
“This is about demonstrating the rapidly evolving technology that is making electric vehicles a practical option for a growing number of businesses.”
Twenty-two more public fast chargers will be installed on the North Island on State Highway 1 between Christchurch and Blenheim; on the Southern Scenic tourist route; and on the Kapiti and Horowhenua coasts.
Woods said the fund was one of several initiatives in the government’s electric vehicles programme, which aims to double the number of electric vehicles every year to reach 64,000 by the end of 2021.
Jucy’s EV drive trial reveals charging black spots
Car rental company Jucy has announced completion of a 13,000km five month trial of an electric campervan that, it says, has revealed details about the high cost and lack of charging points in the South Island.
Jucy said two visiting Parisian eco-tourists had driven the prototype electric campervan around the country to test the vehicle under real world conditions, and produce a documentary for the European market.
JUCY co-founder and COO Dan Alpe said the tourists were able to traverse most of the country efficiently, but the trial revealed a number of shortcomings with New Zealand’s EV infrastructure that needed to be addressed to provide a more seamless experience for tourists.
“One of the key findings of the trial was that in some parts of the South Island there are long distances in between vehicle charging stations which our current battery range can’t easily traverse,” he said.
“For example, there are no campgrounds between Blenheim and Kaikoura, let alone any charging facilities and only two fast charging stations in the entire West Coast.
“This meant the tourists had to stop every 100kms to charge for five hours and, in a number of cases had to knock on the door of a private household to ask to charge their vehicle overnight!
“There was also a significant cost variation in the cost to power the battery each time, with one campground wanting $[NZ]45 just to charge the vehicle – compared to a $[NZ]5-$[NZ]10 at most fast charging stations around the country.”
Jucy plans electric campervan fleet
Alpe said Jucy was working with academics at Massey University to produce a fleet of electric campervans, and expects to have 10 available for the summer.
“The trial data showed us there are some key areas we need to focus on, including reducing the weight of the vehicle and increasing the capacity of the battery to allow us to get 200km from each charge.
“We will also be looking at the integration of solar panels and developing more advanced battery technology to find new ways to get more distance from each charge – without travellers having to compromise on features such as air conditioning to conserve power.”
