Car charging station, first in Taupo CBD
Electric vehicles may just be the way of the future and one local business has opened Taupo’s first free charging station.
Central Motor Group (CMG) officially opened their Electric Vehicle (EV) 40 AMP purpose built charging station for electric cars on Wednesday, with Taupo mayor David Trewavas in attendance.
With the numbers of electric cars being bought on the rise, CMG used car manager, Steven Greenwood, said it was good to have something like this.
‘‘It’s pretty exciting to have something so different in the motoring industry.’’
The charging port is offered to drivers of electric vehicles, free of charge during business hours - all they have do is leave their car for the three hours it takes to charge and enjoy what Taupo has to offer while they wait.
With talk among the community investing in charging station going on for some time now, Trewavas said CMG were quick to the mark to get its one sorted.
‘‘It’s good for our community,’’ he said.
‘‘Twenty per cent of the nation’s power comes from Taupo, so it makes sense.’’
Greenwood said the idea of the EVs is to plug them in like your phone. It takes three hours to charge them from empty and only costs $3.
CMG only invested in five EVs and have sold one. Greenwood said they are hoping local people will buy them as they are ideal cars for Taupo. CMG have tested their 2011 Nissan LEAF Generation 1 by driving from their dealership in Tuwharetoa Street, while listening to the radio with the heated seat and steering wheel on to the Fish’n’Chip shop in Kinloch and back.
They calculated this to have an electrical cost of $1.19. Greenwood said the Nissans are a great Taupo car and would be a great second car for the family school run, too and from work, sports, supermarket and and it has big savings for people who live in Kinloch, Wharewaka, Acacia Bay and similar areas that pay a fortune in weekly petrol costs.
Opposed to petrol engines that are very complex with hundreds of moving parts, EVs have around half a dozen. The engine is a sealed unit.
The only on-going service costs are things like replacing tyres, power steering fluid, brake fluid and pads.