What's the news?
While electric cars are still rather thin on the ground in Ireland, those brave few who've taken the plunge so far often find, when out and about, that when looking for a charging point the nearest one is either occupied already, or out of commission for some reason. Or occupied by a non-electric car, but that's another day's problem...
While it can't tell you about thoughtless internal-combustion users, the new map app from Zap-Map can at least help you navigate around the other issues. Available now as a download for Apple and Android phones, it allows you to see which of the ESB's 1,200 charging stations nationwide is either already in use, or out of service. There's also a Zap-Chat function that allows you to communicate with other EV users to update them on services you've found, or issues with chargers that are not yet on the system.
On the release of Zap-Map 3.0 incorporating the ESB network data, Melanie Shufflebotham, Director at Zap-Map said: "We are delighted to extend the coverage of Zap-Map to Republic of Ireland with live network updates from ESB, and hope that this will help accelerate the uptake of EVs across the country. Our aim is to give the best possible information to EV drivers on the move and the latest app features were developed with this in mind. The new app also includes the integration of the Zap-Chat platform for live user updates, and enables the roll-out of new features for launch later this year."
Gareth Davis, Head of ecars at ESB commented: 'We are delighted that information on our extensive network of charge points in the Republic of Ireland will be available on Zap-Map and will allow EV drivers to easily access information on charge point locations and availability. This information is essential for EV drivers wishing to plan their journey and ensure they have charging facilities on route."