The Rechargery hits 10,000km milestone

Auckland commuters and cruisers trialling e.bikes at the Rechargery have travelled the equivalent distance of Auckland to LA, with the help of the sun.

Big Street Bikers are the mastermind behind ‘The Rechargery’, an e.bike charging hub electrified by Mercury Solar – the first of its kind for New Zealand. The Rechargery released their latest ride statistics today, showing riders with the start-up have together ridden more than 10,000km since it launched in February this year.

‘The impact of over 1,000 riders enjoying the freedom of an e.bike whilst harnessing the power of the sun, means a reduction in cars clogging the streets and a whole lot less nasty CO2 emissions being pumped into our city’s atmosphere” said Big Street Biker founder, Matt Weavers.

According to Statistics NZ approximately 300,000 commuters travel less than 5km to work everyday.

“There’s a massive opportunity for individuals to take control of their commute and avoid Auckland’s crippling gridlock while saving money and having a great time doing it,” said Matt.

The scheme, which is a joint effort with Mercury, aims to ‘hack Auckland’s transport issues’ by boosting e.bike uptake. It offers e.bike recharging, free test rides, longer-term hires and ride-to-own plans to help knock down the barriers to ownership.

“Each person we help go from four wheels to two kicks the e.bike revolution up another gear,” said Matt. 

Mercury’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julia Jack said the business case for making the switch to an e.bike has never been more compelling.

“It’s so exciting to see New Zealand getting behind electric transport. The Rechargery is a great example of our commitment to the e.bike movement – leveraging a wonderful source of energy and helping kiwis realise the freedom and fun of an e.bike. It’s win, win,” said Julia.

“Think of the Rechargery as the petrol station of the future, except a whole lot better for the environment. A lot less cars and a lot more sunshine,” says Matt.

He said the latest ride statistics were largely made up of tourists keen to explore the city and employees of businesses based near its Viaduct Harbour headquarters getting between meetings, out and about in their lunch breaks and putting their commutes to the test.

He said the concept of being able to offer a sustainable transport option was a major driver behind their business, and the team were looking to expand further over the coming months.

“We’re only at the start of our journey so watch this space. It’s awesome to be working with a forward-thinking organisation like Mercury, who have been a driving force behind a lot of the recent e.bike uptake that we’ve seen in New Zealand. We’re excited about what we see in our future together,” he said.