May 6th 2022: eir, Ireland’s leading telecommunications company, has today announced the installation of seven new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in County Carlow, with further installations planned across the county, as part of its partnership with EasyGo, the owner of Ireland’s largest eMobility Service Provider network. Following the removal of the Universal Service Obligation for eir to provide public payphones in 2020 eir committed to finding alternative ways to support public infrastructure nationwide with a goal of helping communities meet their changing needs. eir identified the installation of EV charging stations as one way to provide community support. Today’s announcement marks the first of a nationwide rollout EV chargers resulting from the partnership. This rollout is at ZERO cost to county councils.
Oliver Loomes, CEO of eir, said: “Electric vehicles are a critical part of the Government’s Climate Action Plan which sets out a target of almost one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030. In order for Ireland to move to electric vehicles, we must have the required infrastructure in place, not just in cities, but across all of Ireland. We are proud to partner with EasyGo and Carlow County Council to assist in the installation of EV charging points across Carlow Town and County.
Welcoming the launch in Carlow, Cllr. Fintan Phelan, Cathaoirleach, Carlow County Council stated: “This joint initiative by eir, Easy Go and Carlow County Council to install state of the art new EV chargers is a great example of how organisations working together can improve the provision and rollout of much needed electric vehicle charging infrastructure in public areas which will be of great benefit and convenience to the public that are switching to electric vehicles while also contributing to achieving our ambitious climate action goals and targets.”
Chris Kelly, EasyGo Technical Director, said: “EasyGo is on a mission to decarbonise transport, and our partnership with eir can go a long way to achieving that. Together we plan to replace up to 180 telephone kiosks with fast EV chargers at no cost to local authorities. In fact, we are pleased to report that we have active engagement with many councils across the country and will be making some announcements on those in the coming weeks. I would particularly like to congratulate County Carlow for pioneering this programme. By adding these seven new chargers in Carlow, Tullow, Bagenalstown and Borris, overnight County Carlow has become much more accessible for EV drivers. Providing EV infrastructure in both urban and rural Ireland is vital to achieving Climate Action Plan goals, and as Ireland’s largest network of EV charging stations, we are delighted to be leading that effort and helping EV drivers conveniently charge their cars. We welcome any inquiries from any local authority to our office in Maynooth, and our door is open to anyone who requires an EV charger installed!”
Transport accounts for one-third of Ireland’s energy-related Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels and this initiative will help accelerate the replacement of internal combustion engine vehicles with EVs, the most practical solution for reducing transport carbon emissions.
For queries relating to the eir & EasyGo program, please contact:Dermot.otoole@easygo.ie 085 177 5253
Pictured at the launch: L-R
- Carlow Municipal District Mayor, Cllr. Ken Murnane,
- Cllr. Fintan Phelan, Cathaoirleach, Carlow County Council,
- Eir CEO Oliver Loomes,
- Ms. Kathleen Holohan, Chief Executive, Carlow County Council,
- Brian O’Farrell, CEO, County Carlow Chamber,
- EasyGo Technical Director, Chris Kelly
- Rowena Dooley Dealer Principal at Dooley Motors, Ford & Kia, Carlow