REARVIEW:IRELAND'S FOUR first kerbside electric charging points come onstream this month as part of the Government's drive to have 10 per cent of all vehicles running on electricity by 2020.
Any move towards cleaner power is ultimately to be welcomed. So, big pat on the head for initiative. But perhaps we should take a step back and really think this through before we find ourselves jumping out of the oil-filled frying pan and onto the twin bars of an electric fire.
I’m not suggesting they completely pull the plug on the idea but there are a few issues to consider, thorniest of which is the question of where all this extra electricity will come from.
We’ve a long way to go before we can rely on renewable sources, never mind cope with the massive demand 300,000 electric vehicles will bring. No doubt, some bright spark will find a solution eventually. Until then, we’ll have to make do with either burning the very ground we stand on or continuing to buy electricity from Britain. Is there really any difference between pollution from exhaust pipes or power stations?
Say we all do flock to electric cars and begin charging them at home from our domestic supply. That’s fine if you have a house with a driveway. But what if you live on the sixth floor of an apartment block? Are you supposed to run an extension cord down from your balcony?
Quandaries aside, we as a nation are amped to get on the electric bandwagon, right? Wrong. Just one electric car has been sold here so far this year. Shocking, isn’t it? It appears I’m not the only person who needs convincing.