Battery EV charging system ‘first of its kind’
Two EV fast chargers earmarked for installation at Springs Junction are to be powered by a battery, as the single 11-kilovolt line serving the key settlement is close to capacity.
Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods said the battery storage system at Springs Junction was the first of its kind in New Zealand.
Just west of Lewis Pass, the village sits at the intersection of State Highway 7, linking Canterbury and the West Coast, and SH65, linking Canterbury and Tasman District.
Woods last week referred to Springs Junction as a key charging infrastructure black spot when she announced just over $1 million from the Low Emissions Transport Fund for the installation of 10 chargers in the South Island by Meridian Energy as part of its nationwide charger rollout.
Two other Tasman District settlements – Kohatu and St Arnaud – are also set to receive fast chargers.
Network Tasman is the electricity lines company that distributes power to settlements within its area, covering 10,800 square kilometres. Chief executive Oliver Kearney said Springs Junction was supplied by the 80km Maruia distribution line, which did not have sufficient capacity to supply additional rapid EV charging loads during the day.
‘‘Springs Junction is served by a single 11kV line that is now close to its full capacity,’’ Kearney said. However, analysis of the load by staff, through Network Tasman subsidiary company SmartCo, revealed that there was sufficient capacity at night.
The obvious solution was a battery to store energy supplied by the lines company’s network during the night, ‘‘and move it to the day when EV drivers are most likely to want to charge’’, he said.
Network Tasman provided the information to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority to help the EECA find an appropriate solution.
‘‘To undertake a full upgrade of the line to Springs Junction would have cost around $3 million, while this non-network solution will see an innovative off-peak battery solution installed at no cost to consumers.‘‘
Network Tasman had installed three fast charging stations at Nelson, Richmond and Tākaka, and was now focused on ‘‘providing the network service to enable third-party providers to instal charging infrastructure across the region’’, Kearney said.
The West Coast settlements of Haast and Harihari are also scheduled to receive new fast chargers as part of the rollout cofunded by the Low Emissions Transport Fund and Meridian Energy.
The chargers are expected to be available from May 2023.