Meath can ‘get ahead of the rest’ on electric vehicle charging points

A CALL to Meath County Council to apply to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland for grants to fund electric vehicle charging points through Meath has been made by the council following the tabling of a notice of motion at the February meeting of the council.

Fianna Fail Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons introduced the topic. He said that just four local authorities had so far applied for the grants and there was an opportunity there for Meath County Council to “get ahead of the rest of the country” in getting the EV points in place.

Supporting the motion, Fine Gael Cllr Alan Tobin said that his own area of Ashbourne had no public charging points. “We brought this up on a number of occasions and we were told we were in a lottery system”. They were needed in an area where people could have access to buses and taxis and might be able to leave their own vehicles for charging.

He said that they had been told that bye-laws might need to be put in place for the purpose of installing the EV points. Taxi drivers had told him that they wanted to apply for grants for electric cars but the charging points were needed. “I very much support this motion by Cllr Fitzsimons and I think we should start looking at areas where we could put the points in. And we could approach the supermarket chains for the same purpose. We are catching up very fast on where we need to be by 2030 but we need the infrastructure. If there is space for them then let’s get the nuts and bolts in first when we have the money to do them”.

He said that lamp posts could be used for installing the EV points and this would mean that they would not have the “clutter” of extra furniture on the streets.

Fianna Fail Cllr Mike Bray who seconded Cllr Fitzsimons’ motion said that the Central Bank was encouraging institutions like credit unions to put in the charging points.

A council official said in a response to Cllr Fitzsimons that the county council supported the provision of infrastructure for EV charging points both on the street and in new housing developments. This was reflected in the council’s objective to liaise and collaborate with relevant agencies to support, facilitate and encourage the growth of EVs in various ways including a roll-out of additional electric charging points.

“Through the development management process the council requires that new residential development, and the development of new car parks and services stations, provides the requisite number of EV charging points.

“In terms of its own infrastructural projects the council is currently focused on providing the facilities for new EV charging points in new park developments in Navan, Garlow Cross and Laytown/Bettystown.”

The council previously applied to the SEAI for a grant in relation to three public charging points in the car park that was constructed as part of the R150 Tara Road scheme.