How the site could look when charging stations are in place.
Global automotive and energy company Tesla has approached Waipā District Council looking for space to install a Super Charger electric vehicle site in Cambridge.
The United States-based company has indicated a preference for a 12-park site in Alpha Street, outside St Peter’s Catholic Church.
The planned site in Alpha Street.
Tesla would fund all capital and operating expenses in return for the land and a 15-year term with five yearly renewals.
The proposal was discussed by the Cambridge Community Board last night after the newspaper edition of The News went to press.
Board chairperson Jo Davies-Colley said members were concerned about the look and feel of the Tesla Super Chargers in Cambridge, which she described as a “heritage town”.
She said it would disadvantage local drivers of non electric vehicles, take public land for a charging station and reduce parking in the CBD that is already stretched.
“In the end, the board decided to spend some time going to the community and asking them for more feedback about the chargers and their location,” she said.
A Tesla representative told the board they had eyed up three locations in Cambridge but because of contractual constraints, he could not say where.
Councillor Mike Montgomerie pre-empted the discussion at the Service Delivery committee meeting on Tuesday when he asked Transportation manager Bryan Hudson for more information.
Mike Montgomerie
“Tesla has been asking council and I believe private landowners for the last 12 months,” Hudson said.
The council suggested three of its own sites in Alpha, James and Fort streets.
Hudson said Tesla charging equipment tended to be bigger than other private charging electric vehicle companies, so they needed more space than the ones currently set up in Cambridge.
Council has just renewed a five-year agreement with Charge Net NZ Limited to provide two direct current chargers, occupying four public parking spaces: two in Queen Street, Cambridge and two on Scout Lane in Te Awamutu.
Bryan Hudson
Another charger was installed, occupying two parking spaces, at the Perry Aquatic Centre carpark as part of Waipā Networks’ sponsorship of that project.
These are fast chargers, taking about 30-40 minutes to fully charge most vehicles.
Last year council entered a five-year trial agreement with Hikotron to provide four alternating current chargers, occupying eight public parking spaces: four in Anzac Street and four in the Mahoe Street carpark in Te Awamutu.
“More and more of these types of facilities are in demand,” said Hudson.
The council would have to issue Tesla with a licence to occupy if the proposal went ahead.
The initial conversation with the community needed to start with the community board. The council had already asked the Chamber of Commerce for feedback too, he said.
Councils across the region had been approached by various providers wanting to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure in public spaces.
By 2035, 30 per cent of the vehicles in New Zealand will be electric, said Hudson.
“It’s important we touch base with the community and get the best accord we can.”
Tesla wants a 15-year commitment from the council with a five-year renewal period.
A large charging hub in Cambridge could attract electric vehicle users to Cambridge from the Waikato Expressway which could have some financial benefits to local businesses.
In her report to the community board, Transportation safety officer Julie Taylor said this would be contrary to the council’s Transport Strategy aim of reducing the number of private vehicles coming into the town centre.
Elon Musk
“Therefore, a hub of this size may not be appropriate in public space.”
Tesla has manufacturing facilities in the US, Germany and China and has operations across Asia Pacific and Europe. Its headquarters are in Austin, Texas.
Shareholders include controversial billionaire Elon Musk, who recently sold billions of dollars of shares to fund his purchase of Twitter, and fellow billionaire, Oracle’s Lawrence Ellison.
