A national company has axed plans for an electric car charging station in Dunedin after Delta announced a proposal to put in a charging station before the end of the year.
The Auckland-based company ChargeNet announced in September it was looking at putting a fast-charging station in Dunedin.
It would have been the latest in a country-wide network it is developing.
Chief executive Steve West said ChargeNet had been ''on the verge of installing the station when Delta announced their plans'' to put in a fast-charging station at the Filleul St car park.
Delta filed a consent application for the charging station earlier this month.
Delta's charging station will be free to use for at least the first year, while ChargeNet's planned and existing charging stations are pay-to-use.
Mr West said ChargeNet made the decision to pull out because ''there's [not] anything like enough demand in Dunedin to support more than one fast-charging station''.
But he was not upset about Delta's station.
''Delta has saved us $50,000,'' he said, laughing.
''Our ultimate goal is to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles, and anything that helps is good in our book ... We think it's great.''
But the company ''could've saved some time if we'd known [of Delta's plans] earlier'', Mr West said.
Delta communications manager Gary Johnson said Delta had spoken to ChargeNet and had been ''actively assisting'' with its plans to install an electric vehicle charger in Dunedin.
''[We] welcome anyone seeking to increase the coverage of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in New Zealand,'' he said.
Dunedin City Council senior policy analyst Bill Frewen said both parties had been communicating with the council ''throughout the process''.
''Our only objective is to encourage investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and hopefully attract more electric vehicles to the city,'' he said.
''But, ultimately, they make their own decisions, I guess.''
Chamber of Commerce energy committee chairman Scott Willis said there had been ''a little bit of confusion in the beginning''.
But he was ''fully confident that everybody in this space is wanting the same thing and is working together''.
''It's good in that sense,'' he said.
''There's so much innovation and learning to be done - there's going to be things changing quickly sometimes.''
