Hertz and Thundergrid team up for a good cause
Free Charger for Marlborough Community Vehicle Trust
What a great collaboration this has been – more proof that working together can create fabulous outcomes! Marlborough Community Vehicle Trust (MCVT) just started their electrification journey with a generous donation of a new electric vehicle (EV) from Marlborough Lines. In June, they unveiled their new EV and charging station at Wairau Hospital, Blenheim Te Whatu Ora. It all happened with multiple sponsors like Hertz (charger), NMDHB (power & parking) and Aotea Marlborough (installation) coming together with the support of Thundergrid – Electric vehicle charging specialists. From now on residents who need medical care in the Upper South Island can be transported to their appointments sustainably and emission-free!
Hertz started its donation journey
The international well-known car rental company Hertz recently installed new chargers for their electric vehicle (EV) fleet in New Zealand. As the EV fleet grew in size, Hertz decided to repurpose its legacy vehicle chargers by donating to various charities in New Zealand, helping to spread the good cause of becoming electric, with the support of the EV charging specialist, Thundergrid.
A charity going electric
The Marlborough Community Vehicle Trust (MCVT) is a charitable trust that is 100% operated by volunteers. Their mission is to provide safe, reliable, and affordable transportation services for people in Marlborough who need to travel to medical appointments within the Nelson and Marlborough regions. They not only want to improve the quality of life for Marlburians but also become more sustainable. Once the charger donation from Hertz was confirmed, Thundergrid was able to bring even more sponsors on board.
Sponsors working together
Marlborough Lines, the local lines company in the region jumped on the project and sponsored the actual EV. NMDHB became the donor of the dedicated parking and the power for the chargers, with Aotea Electric contributing the installation costs. Thundergrid is really happy about the outcome and being able to provide their expertise and installation services. A repurposed charger from Hertz has finally got a new home at the Wairau Hospital and Marlborough Vehicle Trust can now transport passengers needing a medical treatment absolutely free of CO2 emissions.“We are just stunned by so much generosity and the ability to help out and support this amazing charity together!”, explains JP Gardiner from Thundergrid who has seamlessly managed the sponsorship. “Projects like this just align with our company values and we hope to bring more EV chargers to life for other charities around New Zealand in the near future!”
