‘No budget’ for EV charger rollout in Waterford

Waterford City and County Council officials have stated that the council is ‘very dependant’ on other providers with regards to the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities.

In the past, such facilities have been called for, particularly in West Waterford, west of Dungarvan, where there is a notable lack of EV chargers for motorists.

Speaking at this month's Plenary meeting, Cllr Cristíona Kiely enquired as to where the council currently stands regarding such a rollout and whether any progress has been made

“I think the time has never been more right to revisit this and to look at the rollout of EV chargers, particularly at our greenway car parks and on streets where people don’t have a driveway. I know we’re hoping that forecourts will roll out EV charging but we haven’t seen anything on that yet,” Cllr Kiely said.

Responding to the councillor's queries, Chief Executive Michael Walsh stated that the council does not have the budget for such a rollout.

Grant aid of 30% made available by SEAI was acknowledged by Mr Walsh, however, he noted that the council does not have a budget for any form of ‘significant’ rollout.

“We are very dependant on other providers to do it and that’s the case around the country. Our capacity to in any way significantly influence (EV charger rollout) is not great,” Mr Walsh said.

He went on to note that greater national clarity is needed on the topic, with regard to the number of different providers and different systems which can be used.

COUNCIL FLEET

Waterford City and County Council would be installing some EV chargers of their own as they move towards transitioning their vehicle fleet to green energy, Mr Walsh said.

“We will be transitioning our fleet to electric vehicles to the extent that is possible,” Mr Walsh said.

The transitioning of smaller elements of the fleet such as vans, he noted, will be relatively immediate, however, it would be a gradual transition for the entirety of the fleet.