5 April 2022

Energia Group, Waterford Chambers and char.gy have today unveiled the first char.gy lamppost and bollard attached electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

Installed by Metalman Engineering and local electrician John Kavanagh Electrical Ltd, the char.gy bollard and lamppost attached charge points are now operational at Waterford Airport Business Park.

As Waterford Chambers’ sustainable energy partner, Energia Group is supporting the ‘Waterford Green Deal’ initiative which aims to make Waterford carbon neutral by 2040. Access to EV charging is a key enabler of sustainable transport solutions and Energia Group is proud to be involved in this partnership.

Towns and cities will require publicly available charging points in order to accommodate the anticipated increase in the uptake of electric vehicles in coming years as we transition to net zero. Integrating the charging points into existing street infrastructure such as lampposts is an efficient way of increasing the coverage of EV charging points in our towns and cities.

This installation marks a first for Energia Group, the Waterford Chamber of Commerce and char.gy and the collaboration will see further EV charging points to provide greater access and encourage EV uptake in Waterford.

Niall Griffin, Member of Waterford Chambers and owner of Metal Man Engineering where the charging points are located said: “As an owner driver of an electric car I know too well the problems of charging and looking for suitable places to charge when travelling, this collaboration with Energia Group is essential to get as many charge points in the right locations as many home owners/renters do not have many options for street parking and the pole chargers are unique for this application.

Waterford Chamber of Commerce is committed to the green agenda and will continue its work on pushing the EV charge points throughout the county.”

Speaking at the unveiling of the charge points Gavin Hickey, Project Manager, Energia Group said: “Energia Group, Waterford Chambers and char.gy have joined forces to offer an on-street smart charging solution for electric vehicles. The charging points can be attached to lampposts or as standalone bollards to offer easy, cost effective, open-access charging.

We are delighted to be involved in this project with Waterford Airport Business Park and look forward to offering this convenient means of public and on-street charging as a vital step towards reducing vehicle emissions across Waterford and the country.”

Richard Stobart of char.gy stated: “I am excited to see the first unit in Waterford. It is great to see these being added to our portfolio of units already available in the UK and Ireland.  We are looking forward to growing our relationship with Energia Group and seeing more of our charge points on the streets very soon.

By enabling EV drivers to do most of their charging where they park for long periods, our low power chargers smooth out the energy needs of EV's that support a renewable grid. At char.gy, we see this as an extra contribution that EV drivers can make to reducing Ireland's CO2 emissions"

Further information on Energia’s EV offering can be found here and on the sustainability work of Waterford Chamber of Commerce can be found here. Information on the char.gy technology is available here.