A $50 million plan to expand New Zealand’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network marks another step toward a lower-emissions transport system.

The government will provide interest-free loans to private operators ChargeNet and Meridian Energy, which will invest a further $60 million to lift the national network to around 4,500 charge points.

The aim is to ease a key constraint on EV uptake: limited public charging infrastructure, particularly outside major urban centres.

It partly reflects what’s been called a chicken-and-egg problem, in which providers are reluctant to invest without enough EVs on the road, while drivers are hesitant to switch without a reliable charging network.

By lowering upfront costs for providers and encouraging rollout in smaller towns and along regional routes – where usage and returns are less certain – the scheme would help bring forward the investment needed to build a functional national network.

That is a positive and timely development. But our research suggests that without deeper shifts in pricing, incentives and driver behaviour, expanding charging infrastructure alone is unlikely to drive EV uptake at the pace New Zealand needs.

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