Government agrees to regulate smart electric vehicle chargers

Earlier this month, Cabinet agreed that EV chargers with a maximum charge rate over 2.4 kW supplied in New Zealand must have minimum ‘smart functionality’ and be labelled to show their energy efficiency performance and smart characteristics. The requirements will be enabled through changes to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000, which the Government intends to introduce to the House this year.

Smart EV charging will help create a smarter electricity system and support consumers to take a more active role in their energy use. Households or businesses with smart EV chargers can shift their charging times to off-peak periods (for example, overnight) when electricity demand is lower. This can reduce the strain on the grid at times of peak demand and lower charging costs – increasing both energy affordability and security of supply as a result.

The benefits of smart EV charging stretch beyond the electricity system. By 2050, smart EV charging could reduce household power bills by roughly $220 per year and save us up to $4 billion in network costs, compared to unmanaged charging.

Read the Minister for Energy’s Press Release: 

Cheaper, smarter EV charging on the way for Kiwis(external link) – Beehive.govt.nz

Learn more about the benefits of smart EV chargers:

Smart EV chargers(external link) – Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority

You can find the Cabinet paper and other relevant documents in our document library:

Document library