How Many Electric Car Charging Pillars Should Be In Malta Already, According To PN
The rule of thumb for the number of public charging pillars on the road should add up to 10% of functioning electric cars, PN spokesperson for the Green Economy David Thake has insisted.
He added that 10% of these charging pillars should be fast chargers to accommodate delivery vans.
“If there are 4,000 electric in Malta, we should already have 400 charging pillars but we don’t, so we’re already lagging behind,” Thake said.
Thake, PN MP Ryan Callus and candidate Rebekah Cilia held a press conference as a reaction towards Energy Miriam Dalli’s announcement yesterday on cheaper price bands for electric car charging.
Residential electric charging points will be charged a total of 12.98 cents per unit of electricity for up to a maximum total of 84 hours of charging per week. Home users will be charged this rate, as long as they charge their electric vehicle between the hours of 12pm to 4pm, 12am to 6am, or all day on Sunday.
Callus warned that the proposals discourage people to buy electric vehicles since the off-peak hours at which cheaper rates are applicable coincide with times when most people are at work.
“The cheapest rate should apply at all times across the board and people shouldn’t be placed in a straitjacket when charging their cars. Should people go to work in the morning, go home to charge their car, and then go back to work after 4pm?”
“It’s clear that the government’s proposals are intended to accommodate Enemalta, to tell electric car owners to charge their cars at those times Enemalta isn’t able to sell all their energy. It’s a good exercise for Enemalta but it’s not ideal for consumers.
The MPs also touched on the importance of Enemalta providing a strong distribution grid to ensure the increased electricity demand through electric cars doesn’t cause power cuts.
Thake said that the electrification of modes of transport is urgent, imperative for our health, and a direction the world is moving towards.
“We have to embrace this change,” he said, while urging the government to ensure there’s an adequate network of charging pillars around Malta and Gozo.
Will you be buying an electric vehicle?