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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Public EV car charger
Cars had to be taken on recovery trucks from Stradbally to be charged in Portlaoise during the Electric Picnic, a meeting was told.
Fianna Fail Cllr Paschal McEvoy said Stradbally has neither a public EV charger or petrol station at the moment. He said cars had to be taken to Portlaoise to charge during the festival.
“There was a number of people had to be taken to Portlaoise on the back of a breakdown truck to be charged. It’s just not good enough,” said Cllr McEvoy.
He tabled a motion seeking an update on when EV(Electric Vehicle) charges would be installed in the town.
“300,000 people will be arriving next week,” he said in reference to the National Ploughing Championships. He said 70,000 people had been in Stradbally during the Electric Picnic at the start of September.
“We have a situation where we have no EV charger in the town,” he told the latest meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.
“Even at the moment there is not even a petrol station there now,” he explained.
He said if people are to drive EVs there has to be adequate facilities.
In a written response to the motion, Senior Roads Engineer, Paul McLoughlin said: “An application has been made to the ESB to determine the connection viability/requirements and fees payable for a location on the main street near the Garda Station.
Once the ESB have confirmed same the fee will be paid and the required connection works undertaken to facilitate the charger installation. It is expected that the installation will take place towards the end of the year."
Cllr McEvoy said he was happy to hear there would be progress by the end of the year.
Fine Gael Cllr PJ Kelly said the petrol station closed in Stradbally last month. He said it was an “awful loss” particularly coming just before the National Ploughing Championships.
Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said people can’t be expected to buy Electric Vehicles if the proper infrastructure is not in place.
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