What to know about smart EV home charging
Thinking of getting an EV? You’re not alone. Electric car sales are on the rise thanks to their better long-term environmental credentials and cheaper running and maintenance costs compared with fossil fuel vehicles.
And while the public EV charging network is growing, at-home smart EV chargers add even more convenience and peace of mind to EV ownership too.
Here’s what to know if you’re considering buying an EV in New Zealand.
EV running costs
In just a few years, it’s predicted that EVs will be cheaper to buy than their fossil fuel counterparts. By 2030, EV prices are expected to be about 80% of the price of petrol vehicles.1
Even with the Road User Charges (RUC) that apply to EVs, they cost around half as much to drive if you charge from the grid (i.e., an at-home smart charger) and as much as two-thirds less to drive per year if you charge them from rooftop solar.2
If you translate that into a petrol price equivalent, you can power your electric car for $0.64/Litre with electricity delivered from the grid or $0.31/Litre with rooftop solar. In fact, electrifying your vehicles can lead to a 15-year savings of $10,000 - $19,000.3
EVs are steadily replacing petrol cars globally – electric car sales in 2023 were 35% higher than in 20224– and EV sales in New Zealand are expected to increase by over 50% in 2025, with their market penetration tipped to reach 51% by the end of the decade.5
The New Zealand government is working to make EV chargers and rooftop solar easier and cheaper to install and is developing public EV infrastructure with a target of 10,000 public EV chargers by 2030.6
At-home smart EV charging
Improvements in technology around at-home smart EV chargers make charging at your place more convenient, less expensive, and often less stressful than trying to find a public charger when you’re out and about.
Home charger installation is increasingly common, and an at-home EV smart charger like Schneider Charge also helps to optimise charging and reduces reliance on domestic socket outlets. Standards New Zealand has battery charging guidelines for EV users, which encourage the use of smart EV chargers.7
The government’s Supercharging EV Infrastructure work programme also includes enabling standards to make it easier for consumers to charge their EVs at home away from network ‘peaks’.
What about hydrogen instead of electric?
Think of hydrogen as another type of battery rather than an energy source. Battery EVs are highly energy efficient compared with hydrogen vehicles.
EVs are well ahead of hydrogen vehicles due to cheaper cost, infrastructure, commercialisation, and environmental sustainability. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)8, at the end of 2022 there were 72,000 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in the world versus 26 million EVs, and electric car sales have increased rapidly since; companies are increasing investment in battery technology.
For EV lithium-ion batteries, recycling can achieve greater than 90% extraction of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese.9 The industry is also progressing towards creating a more circular economy, such as finding uses for old batteries, as we aim for a post-mining world. By contrast, fossil fuels are single-use mining.
It takes one to two years to pay back an EV’s carbon debt from manufacturing, and there are no emissions, so after that it is in massive credit. Progress has been made in standardising lithium battery recycling, and as the EV industry grows, the rate of recycling will increase.
Can I go the distance in an EV?
‘Range anxiety’ is fast becoming a thing of the past thanks to improvements in EVs and development in charging infrastructure. There are now public chargers every 75 km on most state highways in New Zealand, and the government is committed to its target of 10,000 public EV chargers by 2030.
Many new EVs now have over 500 km of range, and the average car in New Zealand drives 11,000 km a year, or just over 200 km a week. That’s around four hours total plugged into a 7kW charger to get all the energy they need per week for regular driving.
EV drivers can also meet day-to-day driving needs by charging overnight at home using cheaper off-peak rates or using rooftop solar, which is the cheapest fuel.
PEV (Plug-In Electric) batteries typically last the life of the car, and their performance is improving. Most new EVs have battery warranties of around 8-10 years, or distances such as 160,000 km, which is similar to 15 years of average driving.
If you’re ready to make the switch to an EV, talk to your electrician about installing a smart charger like Schneider Charge to make life on the road even easier.
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