Dublin Council’s EV Charging Strategy in place

As a City Councillor representing the North Inner City, I am regularly contacted by constituents eager to move to an electric vehicle but are concerned about the availability of EC charging points.

Throughout the course of the last year or two, I have repeatedly sought clarity as to the Council’s thinking on the delivery of on-street charging points as the transition to electric vehicles as set out in the Government’s Climate Action Plan advances. The Chief Executive has always stressed the need to consider a range of solutions to address current and future mobility demand, not only in the city, but also across the wider Dublin Metropolitan Area.

Therefore, the purpose of the Dublin-wide study is to help inform the four Dublin local authorities of the type and number of chargers required across each council area as well as cost and resource requirements. This will allow Councillors to examine how the four Councils can best facilitate the provision of electric vehicle-charging infrastructure across the Dublin region and the scale of investment required. The Dublin Local Authority Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy is now complete and can be viewed here – https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/transportation/electric-vehicle-charging-information.

The City Council was informed by the Chief Executive that:

“This research piece will enable each Local Authority in the Dublin Metropolitan Area to develop related but distinct implementation plans, based on local needs and related policies. Where commonality of approach allows, the DMA working group will collaborate to improve efficiency (for example in the area of procurement, planning for which has now commenced).

The DCC implementation plan will include the identification of Council and community facilities that may allow scope for facilitating the siting of EV charge points.

In due course, DCC understands that the Department of Transport’s recently launched ZEVI office, which sets out potential new sources of funding and capacity building measures to enable the transition, will allow DCC to facilitate the installation of chargers.

Furthermore, variations to the City Development Plan 2016-2022 introduced new objectives such that all new parking for new (or extensions to) housing, apartments and places of employment that provide car parking shall be electric charge point enabled. Dublin City Council will work closely with the ESB and other stakeholders to enable and facilitate an increase in the number of EV charge points across the city. All new (or upgraded) commercially operated car parking developments will be required to provide a minimum of

50% of spaces with EV charging facilities.

Additionally, Dublin City Council has also been in close dialogue with the SEAI/ZEVI (the recently launched Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland Office) regarding the available schemes of funding and a proposed new scheme of grant aid for Multiple Dwelling Units designed to facilitate EV charging infrastructure.

The new City Development Plan 2022-2028 will provide an opportunity to incorporate the relevant outcomes of the above-mentioned study, to deliver an EV charging solution for the Dublin Metropolitan Area.”

The November City Council meeting considered a formal report on how the Council proposes to act on foot of the recommendations in the regional EV charging strategy. You can read the report presented to Councillors here.

If you have any specific questions or queries arising from the details outlined above, please get in touch with me at RayMcAdam@gmail.com.