A Dublin electric car owner has said he may have to return to diesel or petrol after being ordered by Dublin City Council to remove an “unauthorised” charging arm installed in his front garden.
The man in his 40s who lives in Ranelagh with his wife and children, opted to transition to an electric vehicle (EV) two years ago and installed the charging arm at the same time, citing a dearth of public charging points in the city.
The arm, which cost €3,500, is “excellent” he said, adding that without it, owning an EV is “just not viable”.
Like most houses in the area, his home has no off-street parking. The pole installed in his front garden hosts an arm which extends over the footpath allowing a cable to reach his car.
RM Block
The man who wished to remain anonymous over fears the council would “come and remove it the next day” said he charges his car at night, sometimes just once a week depending on usage, at a cost of about €15.
He received a letter in March from the council saying the arm is not exempt from planning permission and is therefore “unauthorised”.
It ordered him to remove it within two months.
“We’re in wait-and-see mode, I think they will insist on us taking it down and if they do, I think we will sell the car and buy a diesel or petrol,” he said.
Although there are “loads” of similar charging arms installed in nearby front gardens, “we’re the only ones being targeted,” he said, believing enforcement is being carried out on foot of complaints only.
“There was one complaint, I think the person complained twice, and they have to act,” he said.
“I’m just guessing someone didn’t like the look of it.”
The man, who was unaware that planning permission was required for the arm described it as “incredibly frustrating” and “completely at odds” with a Government drive to switch to EV.
“We’re an example of someone trying to do our part and we seem to be penalised for it,” he said.
[ Electric vehicle Q&A: What if I can’t charge at home?Opens in new window ]
Saying there are no public charging points in the immediate area, those littered across the city are heavily oversubscribed and rarely available.
“If there were loads of them around and they were available, even though they’re more expensive, we would use them. It’s the lack of them that’s the key issue,” he said.
Fianna Fáil councillor Rory Hogan, who is raising the issue with Dublin City Council officials, said thousands of homes without driveways are “caught between a curb and the climate.”
“On one hand, policy encourages environmentally friendly choices like electric vehicles and on the other, outdated planning rules actively block the infrastructure needed to support them,” he said adding that “mixed messages” are being sent to the public.
Dublin City Council did not respond to requests for comment.
