Eight new electric car chargers for Leinster House
...but politicians no longer get power for free
ELECTRIC car-driving politicians can power their vehicles at eight newly installed charging points at Leinster House – but now they have to pay for the privilege.
It comes after the Irish Mail on Sunday recently revealed the Government faces potential EU fines over its failure to meet targets to deliver public charging points around the country.
Industry leaders say poor charging infrastructure is driving the significant downturn in sales of electric vehicles
‘TDs and senators also enjoy free parking’
(EVs), which is set to derail Transport Minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan’s promise to deliver one million EVs by the end of the decade.
However, newly installed charging points in Leinster House mean our elected TDs and senators won’t have any difficulty powering their vehicles while at work.
Recent correspondence from Oireachtas authorities to TDs and senators – seen by the MoS – stated:
‘We are delighted to inform you that our eight new car charging stations will be operational from Tuesday, April 30, onwards.
‘The stations are located at Leinster Lawn adjacent to the National Gallery, just beside the rewilding zone of the back lawn.’
The correspondence also urges
TDs and senators, ‘in order to ensure maximum availability of charging stations,’ to remove their vehicle ‘as soon as it is fully charged’.
The new e-car infrastructure has trebled the number of charging points on the grounds of the Oireachtas, where TDs and senators also enjoy free parking.
The MoS previously reported how politicians were not required to pay for the privilege of powering their vehicles at the four charging points previously in operation at Leinster House.
Dáil sources said there was ‘very little sign’ of TDs and senators using the new charge points on the first week of their installation.
One source speculated ‘a possible factor’ is that politicians now have to pay for their electricity.
According to the letter sent to TDs and senators, ‘access to and payment for the use of these new charging stations can be made only via an app’.
It’s up to the politicians to download the app to their phones, then ‘create an account and enter your credit card details’.
The politicians are then provided with an automated bill at the end
‘We are at the edge of massive EU fines’
of every month, ‘including details of every charging session’.
The greatly enhanced charging infrastructure for our politicians comes as sales of new electric vehicles continue to nosedive.
Latest figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show that only 1,091 new electric cars were registered in Ireland last month, a 41% drop on the number in April 2023, when 1,863 new EV car registrations were recorded.
It is the fifth consecutive month in which sales of EVs have fallen.
The sale of electric vehicles in Ireland fell year-on-year for the fourth time in seven months in March, as industry leaders warned the Government is failing to meet its own targets to electrify the national fleet to meet climate goals.
One industry source said: ‘We are at the edge of incurring massive EU fines because of our lack of infrastructure. Anything the State does takes years to provide at an astronomical cost – up to €2m for a dozen electric vehicle charge points.’
In response to queries from the MoS, an Oireachtas spokesman said: ‘The Houses of the Oireachtas Service has installed eight additional EV charging points on Leinster Lawn beside the National Gallery of Ireland. TDs and senators must register a credit card from which payment will be deducted automatically.’