27 Mar Tritium among first of 88 fast chargers for Ireland
Brisbane-based Tritium had one of its Veefil-RT 50kW DC fast chargers unveiled in Ireland, the first of 88 fast chargers planned by EV charging network EasyGo.ie.
Business, enterprise and innovation minister Heather Humphreys did the honours at The Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan, where the publicly available charger can add 50km range in 10 minutes.
EasyGo expects to have the 88 DC fast chargers across Ireland by the end of 2020.
Founded in 2018 by Chris Kelly and Gerry Cash, EasyGo aims to have at least 20 fast chargers deployed by the end of 2019.
“Sales of new EVs in Ireland have increased by 541% this year alone, so it’s clear we’ll need more charge points to cater for an increase in EVs on the road,” Kelly says.
Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan director Frank McKenna says the world is trending closer towards a zero-emissions, electric vehicle future.
“This is the future of travel in Ireland, and the selection of our hotel as the first site to have a rapid charger installation in a number of years is a testament both to EasyGo.ie’s foresight and our ethos of providing the best service to our guests.”
Humphreys says the charger is a step towards combatting climate change
“Ireland has been a leader in the eMobility space for some time, and with EasyGo.ie entering the market and establishing itself quickly with installations such as this one and those planned for the future, Ireland will continue to lead the way,” she says.
EasyGo partnered with Tritium to leverage Tritium’s design, deployment and engineering expertise, combined with backend consultation and support capabilities.
Tritium has installed chargers in more than 29 countries.
“It’s been proven time and again the world over that the installation of publicly-available rapid charging options leads to greater EV uptake,” Tritium UK and Ireland business development manager Kevin Pugh says.
“With EasyGo.ie planning to install chargers at 88 sites in two years, you’ll start to see a noticeable increase in EV adoption and this will have a major impact in helping Ireland achieve its climate change goals.”
Each Veefil-RT DC rapid charger features a modem which can alert EasyGo and EV drivers, using the EasyGo web app, in real-time if the charger is available or not.
Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) president Michael Lennon says Ireland is experiencing challenges in meeting its climate change targets with the prospect of paying substantial fines.
“As a sector, we recognise that we can be part of the solution and many hotels are already making substantial efforts to further improve their sustainability,” he says.
“The IHF is taking an active role in this area and has formed a sustainability committee to develop new policies, practices and initiatives to help our industry play its part.”
Source: EVTalk