JJ Burke Car Sales, Ballinrobe held an Electric Vehicle (EV) virtual information evening on Thursday evening last, 25th March with a panel of Ireland’s leading EV experts. Due to the current pandemic registered guests joined in from the comfort of their homes and offices across Ireland, the event itself was held through webinar and live on Facebook. The highly anticipated evening was hosted by Caroline Downey who was live from the Mayo dealership while panellists ‘zoomed’ in. “We are all in this together” said Hugh Hall, Executive Director, ePower Ireland. Hugh gave a very insightful presentation on the different kind of chargers available, cost of the chargers and some information on installing and securing from both a domestic and commercial basis. “Don’t be left with questions we are here to support you”, Hugh added, a really important point as the government’s aim is to have us all in Electric Vehicles by 2030. Geraldine Herbert, Motoring Journalist, a regular contributor to radio/ TV shows and founder of wheelsforwomen.ie gave us an in-depth rundown on the advantages and disadvantages of driving electric. Geraldine told of “how fun it is to drive a fully electric car” and why we really have no reason to have ‘range anxiety, “all you need to do is plan your journeys, learn how to efficiently drive them and in a short space of time you will really understand that driving electric really is the way to go”. Geraldine reiterated, “the biggest thing is the test drive. JJ Burke’s offer a 24 to 72 hr test drive. This is excellent, other dealerships should look at doing the same. The cost of buying an EV is at a premium however you need to take into consideration the total cost of ownership and eventually, in the coming years the cost of an EV will be on par with a petrol/ diesel version.” Programme Manager at SEAI, Shane Prendergast presented a detailed discussion on where we need to be by 2030, “a fundamental shift in consumer vehicle preference is required for Ireland to meet the target of 936,300 EVs by 2030, as indicated by the Climate Action Plan (CAP). We are delighted that we can offer grants. We will ensure the grant application process is as smooth as possible and will be done between the dealership where you purchased the vehicle...