This week, Opel has revealed its concept car and renewed their intention to release four BEV/PHEV by 2020 and an ambitious complete electrification of its lineup by 2024.

Earlier this year, Opel announced plans to build its own electric cars as its Chevy Bolt EV deal with GM isn’t working out.

The newly unveiled concept car will be released in the competitive Compact SUV segment of the market.

Read Full Article and view more images

[Fred Lambert - Electrek - 23 Aug 2018]

Electric vehicles (EVs) aren’t the stuff of science fiction, they are very real and they are here to stay! 

If you haven’t seen an electric vehicle for yourself, come along to an event or talk to a local dealer.  At these events, you will be able to talk to some of the owners or read information about the current EV situation in New Zealand and what steps are being taken to increase uptake.

For details of past events look at our blog  

Whilst you will charge an EV at home most of the time, there may be occasions when you get caught short. Or, when planning a long trip, you want to know where you can fill up en route.

As of Jan 2020, there are 144 DC rapid charging stations in the North Island and a further 65 in the South Island ... plus another 300+ AC charge points registered on Plugshare.

The NZTA approved goal is to encourage the installation of a rapid charger every 75km along NZ's main State Highways so that even a low-range vehicle can travel inter-city. It has only taken four years, but this goal is nearly complete.

Now in 2020, providers appear to be installing more chargers to satisfy demand, to cover off-the-beaten-track tourist areas, and to create redundancy in high use areas.

This map shows information uploaded by users to plugshare.com.  You can see there are 500-odd public charging sites across New Zealand. The orange icons denote rapid DC chargers, which are ideal if you are just topping up or haven't got long to stop, whereas the green icons depict AC destination charging points. Destination chargers are slower charge points which in fact use the vehicle's onboard charger. They are ideal if your car will be parked for a longer length of time, such as in a parking building, shopping centre, or workplace.

If you click on the link and go to the plugshare.com site you can modify the search parameters to show only the charge sites you wish to see.

Plugshare offers a mobile phone app allowing you to find a location when you are on the move. It is available for Apple, Android and there is a separate app for Windows phones that uses the same information.

You can also visit charge.net.nz/map to find location information about their current and future fast charger units around New Zealand, or download the ChargeNet app to access their nationwide charging network on the go.

Leading The Charge is a community of drivers, enthusiasts, and advocates who are helping to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles in New Zealand by sharing knowledge and passion through public events and outreach, as well as strategic engagement with other stakeholders. 

We know that driving on clean, affordable, domestic electricity is more fun, convenient, and practical. That it improves air quality for families across New Zealand. That it supports both our local economy and the global environment. That it is, quite simply, better.

We’re happy to have you with us on this electrifying mission. 

Local enthusiasts arrange events throughout the year but the two big annual events are the Leading The Charge EV Road trip and International Drive Electric week. Organised with support of many sponsors and of course the community of enthusiasts.

Check out the info page for the 2020 #LeadingTheCharge EV Road Tour here.

Leading The Charge is a project of the Better NZ Trust, whose vision is to create environmental, financial and health benefits for all New Zealanders through education, and assisting in the adoption of zero carbon renewable energy technologies. 

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