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 June 2019, there are 175 DC rapid charging stations across New Zealand ... 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 2019, providers appear to be installing more chargers to satisfy demand, to cover off-the-beaten-track tourist areas, and to create redundancy.

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 Great 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 2019 Great EV Road trip 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.