New Zealand will soon get a few more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations around the country, as The Warehouse aims to install and manage stations outside 20 of its stores in the next 18 months.

While the stores and locations are still being decided, the company says priority will be given to ‘areas where there is the greatest impact'.

The company has its own EV charging station at its Auckland Store Support office, as well as a third-party managed station outside its Albany, Auckland store.

“By matching the funding from the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable fund, we will be able to provide an additional 20 charging stations to encourage more people to use EVs throughout the entire country,” says Nick Grayston, The Warehouse Group's CEO.

Grayston says that the new stations will ensure that people using EVs can cover more distance, including those who may transition to EVs in the future.

Last year the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) set up the Low Emissions Vehicle Contestable Fund, which aims to put 64,000 EVs on the road by 2021.

The Warehouse Group is one of several New Zealand companies that committed to turning 30% of its road vehicle fleet into EVs by end 2019.

“Electric vehicle fleets and charging stations go hand in hand and we are proud to be playing a part in supporting New Zealand's ongoing sustainability focus,” Grayston says.

The initiative is a joint fund between The Warehouse and the Government's Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund.