Fast chargers for electric vehicles on the way in Tipperary

Thirteen fast chargers for electric vehicles will be installed across Tipperary in the coming months, including one in Clonmel, by the company EasyGo.

Michael Tierney, Tipperary County Council engineer, told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that ESB networks need to be upgraded in some areas to allow for fast charging, and that process would take months rather than weeks.

The company was trying to allocate its investment as best it could, he said. It is likely that EasyGo and its competitors would provide more chargers in a town like Clonmel than they would in rural areas.

Two cars could fast-charge simultaneously with the equipment they would be installing

EasyGo representative, Dermot O’Toole, said that the fast chargers would make Tipperary much more accessible for tourists and locals alike.

He said that ultimately all motorists would be charging electric vehicles at home, but there still needed to be fast-charging infrastructure.

He said that EasyGo would share data with the council so that chargers would be consumer-based, rather than being placed in a specific location.

He said that the approximate time to fully charge an electric car is 20-25 minutes, but recommended that vehicles should be charged at home as much as possible, as this was more cost-efficient.

The replacement of slow chargers with fast charging points would be looked at, but the biggest constraint in upgrading related to power supply.

Michael Tierney said that works at Mick Delahunty Square had been postponed until the new library was constructed.

One charge point will be installed at the Davis Road car park and when data is reviewed, depending on usage, a second charge point may be installed.

ZEVI (Zero Energy Vehicles Ireland) have grants in place and also have upcoming grant schemes to cater for community centres and sports clubs.

Cllr Pat English said there was a serious need for more charging points in Clonmel, and the town’s large population should be taken into account.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said that more people would drive electric cars when more second hand models became available. She wondered if grants were available for hotels, private shopping centres and even schools to provide the charging infrastructure.

She said there should also be grants for community centres and sports centres.

Cllr Michael Murphy said that as a motorist who drives a plug-in hybrid vehicle, he was aware that there weren’t enough charging points in Tipperary. This remained one of the main inhibitors for the purchase of electric vehicles.

However, the collaboration with EasyGo was a small step in the right direction and more collaboration was needed with more companies to accelerate the rollout of charging points.

He said that hoteliers and other bodies should be introduced to EasyGo, and that the concentration of Clonmel’s charging points should be in the core town centre area.

Cllr Niall Dennehy said he wasn’t too sure there would be a market for second hand electric cars because the cost of replacing the batteries was €19,000, and that cost was too high.

Cllr Richie Molloy welcomed the provision of more charging points and wondered if they would reach the stage when every charging point would be a fast charger.