Electric Cars for Dublin EU Ministers Summit

Electric cars for EU delegatesEU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik is pictured in a 100 percent electric Nissan Leaf car at Dublin airport.

As part of ESB's sponsorship of Ireland's Presidency of the EU, the company is facilitating the provision of electric cars which are being used to transport some visiting delegates for the duration of the Informal Council of EU Environment and Energy Ministers meetings at Dublin Castle yesterday and today as well as other events during the Presidency.

Food company gets electric van for year

Organic food company Glenisk took delivery yesterday of a new Renault Kangoo ZE Van which they will use in promotional and marketing activities for their range of products, writes Trish Whelan.

The electric van was handed over by principals of Renault Belgard yesterday after a training session from Renault Ireland's EV experts on the use of the van and electric vehicles in general.

The company has the use of the van for a year in the 'Great Electric Drive' initiative by ESB's ecars division, designed to evaluate 'real driver' use of EVs and promote the concept across the country.

In all there are 22 'Great Electric Drive' participants, selected from 12,000 applicants.

Glenisk was selected for the commercial vehicle element of the initiative, from some 1,000 companies who applied.

It's not their first experience with electric vehicles ... last year the company purchased an all-electric sampling van called the Mega Van from French manufacturer AIXAM-MEGA. The van now travels to supermarkets and shops around Ireland so people can get a taste of the company's products.


Pictured at the handover of the keys yesterday are Barry Dunne, Fleet & Commercial Manager, Renault Belgard Limited; Maighréad Lynch, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, Glenisk; Diana Alves, EV Business Development Assistant, Renault Ireland Ltd; Rachel Eades, Sustainability Officer, Glenisk; Renault EV Ambassador Robert Dunne (Belgard Motors); and Susan Whyte, Marketing Assistant, ESB ecars.

i-MiEVs in Dublin

They're silent, frugal, and they're cominatcha on Dublin's streets!

These are five of the 15 Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric city cars which have just been rolled out in trials in Ireland as part of an agreement between the Irish Government, the ESB and Mitsubishi Europe.

Trinity College Dublin will be doing research into how temporary 'owners' use the cars in real life.

The deal was officially signed yesterday at a ceremony in TCD.

Agreement signed for Mitsubishi EV trials here

Mitsubishi Motors is to supply a number of its i-MiEV electric city cars to the ESB as part of a research programme to establish the usage patterns likely in Irish buyers of electric vehicles.

The agreement was signed today in Trinity College Dublin, which will evaluate the actual results of the research.

The cars will be provided to both residential and corporate fleet customers as part of the trial. There are 15 vehicles involved in the trial, which will be delivered to their first 'owners' from later today.