An agreement between charge point installer EasyGo and telecoms company Eir means 180 public telephone boxes will be replaced with rapid chargers. This will significantly expand Ireland’s charging network and add to EasyGo’s current network of 1,200 charge points.
The first units will be switched on in January — with almost €10-million invested in the plan. The rapid DC chargers, made by Australian company Tritium, are easy to install. This means roll-out can happen relatively quickly.
The converted phone boxes will help alleviate concerns over the range of electric vehicles as they become more popular in Ireland. EasyGo director Gerry Cash says: “The important thing for EV driving is that people can charge at home at the night rate, but they have the comfort of knowing that they can charge when they’re out and about and return and not have that range anxiety.”
Eir currently operates most of the phone boxes across Ireland and has welcomed the chance to turn its old infrastructure into something more useful. CEO of Eir Carolann Lennon says: “Replacing our little-used legacy infrastructure with state-of-the-art rapid chargers will make the transition to electric vehicles a viable alternative for thousands of people across the country, further driving forward the decarbonisation of Ireland and helping to meet our climate targets.”
