Lack of electric vehicle infrastructure west of Bann raised by lobbyists
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Mark McCall, chair and director of the Electric Vehicle Association Northern Ireland (EVANI), said: “There was a time when we should have been doing more in the public sector to fill in some of the areas that were not on the map.
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Hide Ad“We always hear that places such as Derry/Londonderry and Omagh and Enniskillen — places west of the Bann — have been under-resourced in this area. There was a time when our local devolved Government should have been spending money in this area, as Scotland and Wales did.
“We can look back at things such as the blue-green fund. In the first year of that, £7 million of a £20 million fund was left unspent because projects could not be found, so there were financial resources that could have been used for this.”
Mr. McCall was briefing MLAs at an evidence session of the Stormont Infrastructure Committee.
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Hide AdHe said the lack of spending has left the North ‘lagging behind’ in terms of EV infrastructure.
"In the UK, the average number of chargers per 100,000 population — chargers of all speeds: slow, fast or whatever — is 96.
"In Northern Ireland, that figure is 33. We have one third of the UK average.”
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Hide AdBut he told MLAs shortfalls in public investment were being partly met by the private sector.
"We missed the opportunity to spend in the past, and that has left us where we are today. Since then, the private sector has come along. Millions of pounds are being spent by the private sector.
"The Executive's role is probably more around policy: getting barriers out of the way and accelerating the planning process,” he declared.
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Hide AdMr. Darren Henderson, a director of the EVANI, referred to a large increase in the number of rapid chargers installed around the North.
"A 700 per cent increase in the past two years is fantastic,” he said, whilst adding the proviso that this was ‘still well below where it needs to be’.
Rapid chargers, however, are required for lengthy trips, he told MLAs.
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Hide Ad"They are for long journeys. If you are going to Dublin, Derry/Londonderry or Donegal, for instance, you might need to stop once. That is what they are used for; you do not need them in your local town.
"That gives us a laser focus on the people who do not have off-street parking, because they have no alternative but to use them. That is why we are focused on that element for cross-pavement and other solutions,” said Mr. Henderson.
The EVANI was established in 2016 and in 2021 transitioned to a not-for-profit community interest company.
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Hide AdIts mission is to promote EVs in the North and to advocate for the interests of users and the broader industry.
"Since incorporating, we have conducted over 500 stakeholder meetings, giving us a unique perspective on the local EV landscape,” Mr. McCall told the committee.
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