Concern over lack of EV charging points in Mayo and time it takes to power up

THE lack of charging points for electric vehicles in Mayo, and the time it takes to power up, as well as the cost, are hampering the switch to greener transport.

There are just four public charging points in Castlebar, for a population of 10,000 people, Councillor Al McDonnell has highlighted.

He has called out the lack of urgency by government in failing to promote the move towards alternative energy.

We face significant fines from Europe by 2030, he warned, when we are obliged to have 945,000 EVs on the road. To date we have 100,000.

There's no incentive to buy an EV in this country, Councillor McDonnell stated, as there are no charging points. Castlebar has just four public points. Ballina, on the other hand, has 10.

To save the fines we face, would it not be advisable to subsidise the purchase of EVs, he asked, instead of penalising people.

Some charging points are not up to standard, said Councillor John O'Hara, and you'd be as well off charging with a dynamo on a bicycle. To get a full charge you had to stay two hours.

And the cost of public charging points was raised by Councillor Michael Burke. Where it costs 8 cents per unit at home, that can rise to 50 to 60 cents at a public unit.

That wasn't going to encourage people to change.

Councillor Brendan Mulroy said solar panels should be 50 per cent grant-funded to help cut people's bills into the future.

* Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.