Current rules for on street charging are preventing inner city homes from making the switch to electric vehicles (EVs), the Lord Mayor of Dublin has said.
Councillor Ray McAdam has called on the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien, to prioritise legislation to address restrictions in Ireland’s private wires rules, which are currently preventing electric vehicle charging for households without driveways.
The call comes as cities across Europe and the UK are introducing safe cross pavement charging solutions that allow residents to charge electric vehicles directly from their homes where they rely on street parking.
In many older neighbourhoods of Dublin, particularly across the inner city, homes open directly onto the street and do not have private driveways. As a result, many residents who would like to switch to electric vehicles are effectively locked out of home charging and must rely on public charging infrastructure.
“The transition to electric vehicles must work for everyone. Across the inner city of Dublin there are thousands of homes where residents park outside their front door on the street and those households cannot safely connect a charger from their home.
“In other cities, like Plymouth, we are now seeing pilot programmes where discreet cable channels are built into pavements, allowing residents to safely charge their vehicles from their homes while maintaining safe and accessible footpaths.
“We need guarantees that the private wires legislation will allow electricity to be supplied from a private home to a car parked on the street.”
The Lord Mayor said that a clear legislative framework would allow local authorities such as Dublin City Council to pilot safe cross pavement charging systems in appropriate streets and neighbourhoods.
“This is a practical, common-sense change that would help thousands of Dublin households participate in the transition to cleaner transport.
“It would mean that a household in Ballybough, Stoneybatter, Phibsborough or the Liberties could purchase an electric vehicle knowing they have a reliable way to charge it at home.
“As Lord Mayor, my goal is to ensure that the move towards cleaner transport is something all Dubliners can participate in. Ensuring the private wires legislation guarantees on street charging would be a small but important step that could unlock practical EV charging solutions for thousands of homes across our capital city.”
The Lord Mayor said he would be raising the issue with the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy and the relevant departments in the coming weeks with a view to enabling pilot schemes in Dublin.
