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Boosting the South Island with new fast chargers in Twizel

Image of the new EV chargers at Twizel, two Meridian fleet vehicles parked.

Meridian’s vision is for Zero to become Aotearoa’s largest EV charging network. We’re excited that our new high-speed chargersare ready for drivers in Twizel.

The 150kW chargers, developed with our partner Jump Charging at the Musterer's Hut Café on Ruataniwha Road, can charge eight vehicles at the same time. We’ve designed the site with easy pull-through access to accommodate boats, caravans and other towing needs.

Twizel’s a tourism hot spot and a key location on the main route to other scenic destinations like Mt Cook, Tekapo and Queenstown.

It’s also home to some of Meridian’s important renewable energy generation in the South Island, such as the Waitaki chain and Manapouri Hydro assets. We're proud to support local businesses around our assets, encourage more visitors to this beautiful town and make journeys easier for people behind the wheel of an EV.

"Whether drivers are stopping for a quick coffee at the local café or exploring the beautiful surroundings of Twizel, they’ll be able to charge their vehicle with ease," says Rob Woods, Asset Deployment and Operations Lead at Meridian.

Rob Woods, Meridian’s Asset Deployment and Operations Lead, sits down to talk about our latest milestone in Twizel.

View transcript

Upbeat music plays. The video opens with a man sitting at a table and talking to the camera, he is in an office setting with plants in the background.

"We're really proud of our recent installation at Twizel."

The mans name and role appear at the bottom of the screen.
"Rob Woods, Asset Deployment and Ops Lead, Meridian Energy"

A wide shot of four teal coloured Zero EV Charge points in a clear concrete area with space for cars to drive up. Surrounded by trees and grass.

Text appears on screen.

"The 150kW chargers at the Musterer’s Hut Cafe on Ruataniwha Road can charge eight vehicles at the same time. The site has easy pull-through access to accommodate boats, caravans and other towing needs."

A midshot of a decorative signed reading "Twizel, heart of Mackenzie". There is a road in the background surrounded by trees and grass.

"Twizel is a great spot for EV chargers."

A series of shots showing the Zero chargers from different angles. One mid shot of a man getting into his white electric vehicle.

"It's on a major tourist route. It's about halfway between Christchurch
and Queenstown."

Drone shot of Twizel, showing lots of different buildings and roads. There is a large snowy mountain range in the background.

"It's also really a Meridian town. It was built around the construction
of the hydro dams."

Drone shot showing a dam and body of water on either side of it. Hills and grass surround it.

"we're one of the major employers"

Cuts to another drone shot from a different angle where you can still see the dam and water, but also electric transformers and infrastructure.

Cuts back to Rob Woods sitting at a table and talking to the camera, he is still in an office setting with plants in the background.

"It also experiences a huge influx of visitors"

Shot of three men running in the countryside. They are wearing athletic clothing and numbered running bibs. Cuts to a shot of a man and a woman, each bicycling through a forest on a cleared trail. They are wearing bike helmets and athletic clothing, and each have a race number pinned to their bikes.

"not only in the holiday seasons, but around the rowing regattas that they have on the lake there."

Cuts to a drone shot showing a large group of people rowing across a lake. Cuts to a closer shot of a man in an orange kayak rowing with the group. He has a race number pinned to his kayak.

Cuts back to Rob Woods.

"So all around it's a great place to"

Cuts back to a midshot showing the four zero chargers in Twizel, with a white electric vehicle in the background driving away from them.

"absolutely cover with charging capacity."

Cuts back to Rob Woods.

"If anyone takes their EV down there, they’ll be sure to be able to get a charge"

See the Meridian logo appear on screen and the soft, upbeat music fades out.