Laois home of the Electric Picnic still has no public EV chargers or filling station

Despite hosting Ireland’s largest annual music and arts festival the Electric Picnic, Stradbally still has no filling station and no EV chargers, a meeting was told. 

Fianna Fail Cllr Paschal McEvoy asked in a motion “that Laois County Council give an update on installation of EV charging points for Stradbally town”.

In a written response, ZEVI(Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland) Engineer Darren Coss stated that:   “Laois County Council is currently working in collaboration with ZEVI and four other local authorities in the Region 2 group to establish a strategy that will define the role out of EV infrastructure across the County. This strategy is due for completion in Q2 of 2026.” 

Cllr McEvoy said he was given a location where chargers were to be placed in Stradbally two years ago. He described it as “amazing” that a town like Stradbally that hosts the Electric Picnic and the had the National Ploughing Championships nearby can still not have any charging points. “We need to catch up,” he said. He said there needs to be one or two charging points in every small town in the county. 

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said there had been “an awful lot of talking done” but no action being taken. 

“Every little village and town in Laois should have charging points,” she said. Cllr Moran said “there are none anywhere”. 

“If you go from Portlaoise to Graiguecullen how many charging points do you meet on the road, none”, she said. 

Independent Cllr Aidan Mullins asked why Laois needed to work in collaboration with four other Councils. 

“At this stage it is basic infrastructure we are looking for,” he said. He likened the situation to “living in the Congo” and he asked why it was taking so long. 

“Just go and put them in. What’s all the collaboration and reports and the strategy? Just put them in,” he said. 

Independent Cllr Ben Brennan described the situation as a “joke”. He claimed the small towns were being forgotten.  “They are trying to close the small towns down. That’s what they are doing,” he said. 

He said he was asked to pick locations for chargers in Graiguecullen but nothing happened. 

Cllr Brennan, who lives in Crettyard, claimed Portlaoise was the main beneficiary in Laois. “We need charging points in our area. We are the completely forgotten end of the county,” Cllr Brennan said. 

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran asked why tax payers and not the car manufacturers were footing the bill for EV chargers. She said the Council doesn’t build petrol stations around the county.  “We need to change the way we are doing it,” she said. 

“People who are going to make money out of it, let them put in the infrastructure”, said Cllr Moran. 

Director of Services Julie Bergin said she would contact the ZEVI Engineer. 

Senior Executive Engineer Tom Drennan said the funding for EV Chargers comes through Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland.

The issue was discussed at the latest meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.