Plugging in to the future of transport

Two state-of-the-art electric vehicle charging stations will soon be available at the Athol Street carpark in the Queenstown town centre.

The fast charging stations can charge electric vehicles (EV) in 20-40 minutes, meaning drivers and their passengers can have a coffee, get their shopping done and be on their way with a fully charged battery. 

Queenstown Lakes District Council General Manager Property and Infrastructure Peter Hansby said the number of people owning and hiring electric vehicles is growing and providing the infrastructure to support this shift is vital. 

“If you’re choosing to drive, an EV is a much more environmentally friendly option and a very effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Mr Hansby said

“Adapting to emerging technologies and promoting behaviour change is a big part of our transport strategy for the district.  We’ve already successfully introduced EV charging stations in Wanaka and we hope they’ll be a welcome addition to our parking offering in the Queenstown town centre too,” he said.

QLDC approved a licence to occupy a space in the Athol Street carpark for the fast charging station back in November 2017. 

Initially two fast charging stations will be installed with two car parking spaces marked for EV charging.

“While only two spaces will be available in the first instance, we’ll be able to provide for further charging stations in the future if there is demand,” Mr Hansby said. 

Mr Hansby said work to install the charging stations will start on 8 October and take approximately ten days. 

“We need to close a portion of the Athol Street carpark to allow for the charging stations to be installed.  We acknowledge the temporary loss of carparking in the town centre may be frustrating for some but we hope people can see the bigger picture and benefits to the community once the chargers are installed,” he said. 

When complete, only electric vehicles will be allowed to use the marked spaces.  Any other vehicles will be ticketed. 

An EV fast charging station will also be installed in Glenorchy. 

ENDS:

About Way to Go

Queenstown Lakes District Council, the New Zealand Transport Agency and Otago Regional Council have joined forces to develop and deliver a safe, connected and accessible transport network for the Wakatipu. 

The partnership is known as Way to Go and recognises that all three agencies have an important role to play in driving change.

There has already been a significant amount of planning work completed to identify potential solutions and the group will continue to build on this, focusing on the following projects: 

• Queenstown Town Centre (detailed business case)
• Frankton to Queenstown (single stage business case)
• Wakatipu Active Travel Network (design and consenting)
• Grant Road to Kawarau Falls Bridge (detailed business case)
• Frankton Masterplan (programme business case)
• Lake Wakatipu Public Water Ferry Service (detailed business case)
• Queenstown Parking Strategy
• Queenstown Transport Modelling (to feed into business case projects)

Media contacts:

QLDC communications: communications@qldc.govt.nz or phone 03 441 1802.