All new homes should be Electric Vehicle ready – Farrell

Dublin Fingal TD and Fine Gael Climate Action Spokesperson, Alan Farrell, has called for existing building regulations to be changed so that all new homes are built Electric Vehicle (EV) ready, with appropriate wiring provided in advance of home occupation.

Deputy Farrell said, “Changing the current building regulations for new dwellings will allow all homes to be built with Electric Vehicle charging points. This will further encourage take-up of these vehicles, which will be vital to reducing the emissions created in the private transport sector.

“Earlier this month, Budget 2022 provided a significant increase in support for the Electric Vehicle sector and consumers that opt for these climate friendly vehicles. A total of €100 million will be provided to this sector, almost double of that which we spent last year. This includes the continuation of the purchase grant scheme for fully electric vehicles and for home charging equipment.”

Deputy Farrell continued, “We have very ambitious Climate Action targets that reflect the urgency and the severity of climate change. To meet these targets, we must be equally bold and ambitious in our actions. I believe that providing EV charging points in every new home will be yet another incentive for people to make the switch to electric vehicles.

“Increasingly, consumers are choosing cleaner vehicles and the technology supporting these options is improving quickly and significantly. Fully electric, long range, vehicles are now on the market, removing what was once a concern for consumers, with some of these vehicles reaching 400km from a single charge.”

Deputy Farrell added, “We need to modernise so much of our society to meet our climate action goals, and this means ensuring every area of our society is continually keeping up to date with the latest methods and practices and technologies.

“Providing EV ready homes with charging points in all new residential buildings is one such action that can be done quickly and effectively.”