New electric car charging points welcomed in Waterford
The Green Party in Waterford has welcomed the announcement of a €20 million investment by ESB in electric vehicle charging hubs, but has cautioned that Waterford must work to get its fair share of the funding.
The plan will see an additional 50 charging hubs installed on motorways and national roads throughout the country as well as the upgrade of around 50 existing hubs. However, Marc Ó Cathasaigh, the Green Party candidate in Waterford City West and Tramore in upcoming local elections, says many more are still needed.
“The roll-out of fifty new charging points is a good start, but we still need a massive increase in the number of these points in order to make it practical for vehicle users. If we want to see a total electrification of car transport then we need an order of magnitude more.”
“The future of road transport is electric, but we need to start building that future today. We should be pushing towards a scenario where all car parks and supermarkets have one charging point for every ten parking spots. This is practical and achievable.”
Senator Grace O’Sullivan, who will be the Green Party candidate in Ireland South, has cautioned that planning the new charging hubs must not double-down on an existing Dublin-centric motorway model.
“I’ve been campaigning across the Ireland South constituency for the upcoming European elections, and it really drives home how ‘all roads lead to Dublin’. In planning these new charging points, we need to make sure we’re also serving journeys from Waterford to Limerick or Cork to Tralee as well as journeys to the capital,” Marc concluded.
Source: waterfordlive.ie
