Budget 2020 scheme to install communal charging points at apartment blocks

Del2005 · 06-06-2020 2:41am #1

Has anything been done on the €3m fund for Electric vehicle infrastructure for apartment blocks? It was announced in the Budget

I am allocating an additional €3 million for electric vehicle infrastructure.

This new funding will:

• Double the number of Local Authority on street charge points that will be installed in 2020;

• Support a new scheme to install communal charging points at apartment blocks; and

• Facilitate the roll-out of fast charging points to taxi ranks at transport hubs around the country.

I can find information about on street charging and according to this private parking was due early 2020. I know Covid-19 is an issue but it hit mid March but they've had since August when this was released to work on apartments.

kanuseeme · 06-06-2020 11:06am

I imagine that €3 m was spent on a committee that decided it was enough

To put a few chargers in one car park

Plan for 1 charger per 50 apartments

And plan to install a 3.6 kW charger at a taxi rank, because what would any of them know about anything really let alone electric cars.

Black_Knight · 06-06-2020 7:39pm

Extension leads for all!

charlieIRL · 09-06-2020 2:52pm

In commercial car parking provided, councils are putting in a condition on the grant of permission that (AFAIR) 10% of all car parking spaces now have to have wiring for charging points with ducting put in place for every single car parking space to be wired at a later date. I posted the exact wording here before, i'll try find it and repost it.

Del2005 · 14-06-2020 10:09am

charlieIRL wrote: »

In commercial car parking provided, councils are putting in a condition on the grant of permission that (AFAIR) 10% of all car parking spaces now have to have wiring for charging points with ducting put in place for every single car parking space to be wired at a later date. I posted the exact wording here before, i'll try find it and repost it.

Thanks, the plan for new developments is good by requiring that they are pre wired. I want to know what the plan is for MUDs already built and how they plan on getting them capable of handling EVs, if they have a plan.

The main benefit of EV ownership is cheap home charging. If a percentage of the population can't get access to cheap home charging then we won't be able to meet our targets.

zg3409 · 15-06-2020 9:29pm

It was looked at in 2012 so don't hold your breath
https://www.esb.ie/electric-cars/electric-car-news-and-events/electric-car-press-releases/Small-Business-Innovation-Research.jsp

As of March you can be told to f-off
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/how-do-i-get-an-electric-car-charge-point-for-my-apartment-block-parking-space-1.4187851?mode=amp

I suspect whatever happens will be a trial and an information gathering exercise, the same as 2012.

The first main issue is non dedicated parking spaces. Unless they make some spaces dedicated EV or put chargers near every spot then that is a massive problem. Next problem is billing and maintenance, the management company won't want to know unless it is highly profitable. Then who pays for installation and up front costs?

Personally I think anyone with a dedicated space should be able to insist on permission for a charger installation if they get an insured contractor and pay all fees minus 600 grant. They should be allowed to connect to management company power supply and fees for electricity should only be billable at nominal cost amount. All management companies should be made make all spaces have a charger by say 2030, but again who pays and is it politically viable if it costs say 2000 per parking space so 2000/4000 per apartment?

If you are in that boat yourself I recommend NOT contacting management company as there first answer will always be no, instead get a quote from an insured installer and create a proposal that answers the key question

1) who pays for install
2) dedicated space or shared charging only spaces
3) annual maintenance cost, billing for usage
4) installation design, insurance, wiring safety.

It might be easier to dot 50kW chargers in urban areas or force workplace charging, or just presume most people in apartments will continue to drive petrol or diesel.

innrain · 16-06-2020 10:15am

I rea that article in IT at the time and I can call the BS.
What annoys me that it is written to scare and not to find solutions.
For example

"The OMC is also saying that it would not support our installing our own charge point (if this is technically possible) in our own space. Does it have a right to say this?"

No answer to this question. Not even a recommendation like speak with your local council.

then "Firstly, while such a solution may be okay for one car park space that is located close to the relevant meter, it can create problems if multiple owners install their own cabling or if cabling has to travel any distance, which it sounds like might be the case in your development with both underground and overground car parks."

Unnamed problem. Cable to expensive? Too mane cables onto the cable trays?

"Secondly, there are some technical issues. ESB Networks is not enthusiastic about individual owners making connections off individual power supplies in car parks, for health and safety reasons"

What? ESB not enthusiastic for installing your own plug ?

" while meters are normally marked as connected to one apartment, connection terminals linked to individual apartments are rarely marked and this could mean an EV charge point is connected to an incorrect connector."

Let me see. We do not know what wire gets into my meter.

"meter boards normally do not have too much spare capacity so they can probably just facilitate a minority of apartment owners."

It is hard to say something to this one.

"Another technical issue may relate to electricity “loads”. As the number of EVs rises, and the number of fast chargers grow, an OMC has to be careful that surges in electricity usage do not overload the system and knock out power for apartment owners. "

Apartment buildings are quite newish thing in Ireland compared with the continent. I would say that their electrical connection standards are better than of many old build houses. There is no difference from an apartment building with 16 units vs 16 terraced houses from the electrical point of view. This year we celebrate 130 years since the fuse was first introduced in electricity distribution. We learned something since.

"A further issue relates to standards used for charge points. This matter is still evolving and it would be important that individual owners don’t lock into proprietary standards"

Again what? It just a socket with safety built in. Moreover, it is standardized in EU since 2103

I'm very annoyed when I encounter this reactive thinking where one raises problems but no the solutions. And if one still thinks it is technically impossible watch this video https://youtu.be/mvTxH72e7nM

Budget 2020 scheme to install communal charging points at apartment blocks

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