Action needed to allow more at home EV chargers says Ó Muirí

Steps must be taken to ensure households without driveways can access home charging for their electric vehicles, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Dublin Bay North TD Naoise Ó Muirí, Chair of the Oireachtas Climate Committee, said those living in cities and towns, who want to make the switch to electric are unable to get chargers installed at home if they do not have their own driveway.

“In Dublin, many people live in older, terraced homes that do not have private driveways, with motorists often parking on the street. These people should not be locked out of the transition to electric.

“We can’t expect people to rely solely on public charging infrastructure. While the number of public chargers is increasing, it’s not always guaranteed they will be free or convenient for people to get to these.

“Recent reports have found that almost 30% of Irish households don’t have easy access to at home charging. We also know that charging infrastructure is a major issue with 24% of customers saying it’s a barrier to purchasing an EV.

“We need to see the Private Wires legislation brought in as soon as possible to allow for pavement gullies, like those used in the UK.

“While it’s vital this legislation is introduced, we need to look at all the options for chargers that could be introduced. We need to make it easier for people with EVs to install overhead charging arms. These allow EV owners to charge their cars without creating a potential trip hazard.

“Currently many councils label these chargers as permanent structures that require planning permission and in recent months we’ve heard stories of people being told to remove these chargers. We want people to go electric, so we need to remove these unnecessary barriers.

“If we’re serious about hitting our EV targets, these simple changes must be made to ensure everyone can access a charger,” concluded Deputy Ó Muirí.