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From Mark Nixon, convenor of the Christchurch EV group.

We are pleased to report that EVs are really starting to take off in Christchurch. It’s not uncommon to spot the odd EV dodging cones in the Christchurch streets these days.

In June the EVs owners group had a mid-winter EV meet-up at the Raspberry Café in Tai Tapu. For a short time we were able to boast that this was the largest recorded gathering of EVs in New Zealand. There were 10 Nissan Leafs, 2 BMW i3s, and two conversions, and all their wonderful owners. It was also a great opportunity to try and convert some of the people that had come to learn more about EVs.  The morning tea was concluded by a photo session and a scenic driver over the Summit Road.  

Future EV events in Christchurch include a TEDx event with an electric vehicle focus. Ian Wright of WrightSpeed and a co-founder of Tesla is the key presenter. Stay tuned for the recording!

The big EV event on the Christchurch EV calendar is EVolocity – being held at Ruapuna Raceway on Saturday 28th November. It is a ‘festival’ of electric cars, and includes a high school competition, workshops, exhibits, demonstrations, etc. This event promises to be even bigger and more fun than last year.

Plus the Saturday before, on Saturday 21st November, an EV rally is being held, where an attempt is being made to prise the NZ record for the largest EV gathering back from Whangarei. Can we amass up to 40 EVs that we’ll need?

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Finally another first for New Zealand – Simon Wilkinson from Rangiora has imported this country’s first Nissan e-NV200. Based on the NV200 van, the e-NV200 has a very similar drivetrain to the Leaf with a 24kWh battery.  And here’s the proof – NZ license plate – and just look at the size of that payload.  I can’t wait to see it up close!

 

And if you’d like to see it to, come along to our next EV meet-up – find the details on http://www.facebook.com/chchevog.

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