Mitre 10 has partnered with the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging network Jolt to unveil its first of more than 30 EV fast-charging stations in Auckland.

The company says EV drivers can receive up to 7kWh of free fast charging every 24 hours, providing 40-50km of range. The trial is in addition to the retailer’s existing program of installing standard EV chargers at stores across New Zealand.

Mitre 10’s chief legal and property officer, Grant Fraser, said the decision was driven by a “desire to support regional customers as well as city dwellers”.

“Bringing EV charging stations to all Mitre 10 stores is another way we’re working to help our customers live more sustainably, especially given driving distances to stores in regional New Zealand are often greater than in metro areas.”

Jolt CEO, Doug McNamee, said the largest barriers to EV ownership are cost, range anxiety and access to charging infrastructure, which the new network aims to alleviate.

Mitre 10 will also install charging stations at all stores not covered within the Jolt partnership as part of a national rollout. Correspondingly, Jolt has plans to install hundreds of chargers in urban and destination areas across New Zealand as well.

The first Jolt EV fast-charging station is at Mitre 10’s Ponsonby store in Auckland.