10 Jul 2012
Posted by Miriam O'Neill 
Drivers of electric cars will now be able to power up at Dublin Airport following the installation of five new charging points.
Three electric car parking spaces with charging units are located in the T2 multi-storey car park . A further two spaces have been provided in the Executive Car Park, Level 1, T2 multistorey car park. The new facility, which went live yesterday, means that motorists can top up while meeting or seeing off passengers in the terminal, or they can fully recharge their vehicles if staying longer.
The initiative is a joint venture between Dublin Airport and the ESB to encourage a greater use of electric cars and to promote environmental sustainability. The T2 units are located on Level 1 of the multi-storey car park. Fully recharging an electric car from zero typically takes between four and five hours.
DAA Landside Facilities Manager Valerie Singleton said electric car bays were included in the T2 car park building plans as a way of promoting sustainable transport and providing an alternative to petrol and diesel usage. “We are championing the idea of electric car usage while enhancing the customer experience by providing an extra facility for airport users. We are trialling them here in T2, and if the demand is there we will look at installing them in the other car parks,” said Valerie.
Niall Doonan, managing director of Carra Ireland, the company that installs and maintains the charging points on behalf of the ESB, said the running costs of an electric vehicle are about one tenth of the standard petrol or diesel car. More information on electric cars is available on the ESB website at www.esb.ie/ecars.
