Residents in ‘high-density’ Wexford housing scheme warned not to ‘dig up footpaths’ to install EV chargers

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

While grants for those purchasing electric vehicles (EV) have been increased and efforts are being made to remove older internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from our roads, the lack of charging points remains a concern for motorists.

In Gorey, Co Wexford, many EV owners residing in “high-density” areas do not have charging points outside their homes, leading one councillor to question whether residents could dig up footpaths to install them.

“Are there any provision for those living in houses where they don’t have driveways but they want to install EV chargers?” asked Cllr Craig Doyle at the June meeting of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District (GKMD). “Can you dig up the area outside a house and connect a charger to the property? They have a parking space for their car but they don’t have a driveway. “

Aware of the difficulties faced by some EV owners, senior planner Diarmuid Heuston said this was “a problem nationally” which had already been raised by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).

“We’re looking at it from a design perspective, it’s becoming quite an issue in high-density scheme,” he said. “It is a national problem but we’ll see if we can come up with a solution locally. But don’t do anything to our footpaths.”

From July 1, a scrappage incentive of €5,000 for those purchasing an EV will be offered to eligible applicants who permanently dispose of a vehicle more than 13 years old. This scrappage payment will be in addition to the existing €3,500 EV purchase grant, providing a total support of up to €8,500 per vehicle.

Under this scheme, 65pc of the funding, equating to €6.5m, will be ringfenced for those living outside the major cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.