Ryman Healthcare has joined the electric vehicle (EV) revolution by installing an EV fast-charging network at five of its Auckland villages and introducing Hyundai Kona Elite EVs to its vehicle fleet.
Fast chargers are installed at Ryman’s Edmund Hillary, Grace Joel, Bruce McLaren, Logan Campbell and Evelyn Page villages to complement New Zealand's drive to cut overall carbon emissions by switching to EVs.
The EV chargers are available to residents and their families, as well as staff and members of the public visiting the villages.
In addition, Ryman has also been introducing Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles to its fleet as a further move to become more sustainable.
Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod said there was growing interest from residents in using electric cars and Ryman wanted to make sure it had a charging network in place to enable them to make the switch.
"A number of our residents have switched to electric cars and we want to make sure that we have a fast charging network to support them. While we're designing our new villages to incorporate charging points and the fast chargers will allow residents to top up with power quickly and conveniently.''
Last year Ryman Healthcare signed up to the CEMARS (now Toitū) carbon reduction scheme and has measured its carbon footprint across its village network.
Switching to a hybrid and electric vehicle fleet is one of the measures planned to reduce the company's carbon footprint.
Ryman already used hybrid vehicles and moving to electric cars was a logical next step, Mr MacLeod said.
"We know the world is changing quickly and we want to make sure we're adapting to use any new technology that's available to reduce our carbon footprint. We think enabling the use of electric cars is a perfect way to do this. We'll trial the network at five of our Auckland villages before considering a further roll out to the rest of our villages in New Zealand and in Australia.''
Ryman's fast-charging network was one of a number of schemes to win support from the Government's Low Emission Vehicles Contestable fund, which is a joint public and private sector initiative aimed at reducing emissions.
Ryman's fast chargers are installed at:
Edmund Hillary Retirement Village, 221 Abbots Way, Remuera.
Grace Joel Retirement Village, 184 St Heliers Bay Rd, St Heliers.
Logan Campbell Retirement Village, 187 Campbell Rd, Greenlane.
Bruce McLaren Retirement Village, 795 Chapel Rd, Howick.
Evelyn Page Retirement Village, 30 Ambassador Glade, Orewa.
