Z and Evnex to offer ‘thousands’ of homes smart EV chargers

Z Energy and Evnex have announced a new partnership for Z’s customers, which will see “more than a thousand” smart EV chargers rolled out to homes and small businesses across New Zealand.

Z owns Flick Electric, which will help roll out Evnex’s chargers. “This partnership reflects that there is a new generation of fuel powering our cars. Z is serious about supporting electrification of transport both in customers’ homes and across its service station network as we look for opportunities to lead the development of a low carbon economy,” said Nic Williams, Z’s GM of Strategy and Low Carbon.

“With 17 per cent of New Zealand’s emissions coming from transport, changing the way we travel and the fuel we use is the key to the rapid decarbonisation that must occur if we are to seriously address climate change”.

According to figures from the Motor Industry Association, sales of new electrified vehicles nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022, going from 23,173 to 41,103 registrations.

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Ed Harvey, founder and CEO of Evnex, said the new partnership with Z reflects a changing energy landscape.

“The next two years will be a turning point for EVs in New Zealand. Last year, the pure EV market share grew from around 4 per cent to 10 per cent. With more models available and advancements in technology and manufacturing steadily reducing cost, we expect that trend to accelerate exponentially.

“As we’ve worked with Z over the past few years, their team has demonstrated a genuine commitment to decarbonisation and electrification. Collectively, our organisations believe the pathway forward is clear, and Evnex is excited about working with Z to deliver customers a world-class charging experience and innovative ways to reduce the cost and carbon impact of their charging,” he added.

According to Z, “the home and small business charging solution is being targeted to Z’s customers who have or are transitioning to an EV/fleet of EVs. Further consideration is underway as to whether this will be expanded to include Flick’s existing customer base and will be worked through as we continue to finalise the details ahead of launching this to the market in mid to late this year. The intent is to launch the offering with a variety of plans to suit customers’ varying needs.”

Meanwhile, Z Energy is working to expand its on-site EV charger network, with more than 40 planned to come online by 2025, joining the seven already operational. These are located in Auckland, Turangi, Wellington and Christchurch.

“By the end of 2023 we plan to have EV charging available at one in five of our Z sites. Within three years, we plan this to increase to see EV chargers show up at two in five Z sites,” said Z Chief Executive Mike Bennetts.