As sales of zero emissions cars soar across Ireland, Garo adds a new wall-mounted EV charging option (GLB Plus) with enhanced communications and smart technology. 2019 has already seen a huge increase in the purchase of zero emissions cars across Ireland. According to SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry), there has been 1,435 zero emissions cars registered in the first quarter of 2019 compared with a mere 282 for the same time last year. This represents an  increase of 409 per cent. Alongside the Nissan Leaf, a new entrant to the Irish market shares the top spot in this category - the Hyundai Kona. This compact SUV is the first mid range 'family' car to hit the electric market, so its immediate popularity is unsurprising. At the premium end of the market, the BMW i3, Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla have made their mark with 116 vehicles sold between them. Significant growth can also be seen for petrol/diesel plugin electric hybrids with an increase of 33 per cent. A hybrid vehicle works from both fuel and a battery; however plugin models produce significantly less emissions. Within this category we can see that Toyota dominate the top 10 with their range of options including the new hybrid Corolla. Land Rover has entered into this category with two types of Range Rover, with 109 registered in the first quarter.

New enhanced communication wall charger

Garo Electric has been expanding its EV Charging range in line with increased activity in the EV sector, supporting charging requirements. Their latest wall mounted EV charger model, the GLB Plus, is a smart, high-end wall mounted charging station. Smart Technology features include backend connectivity (with OCPP protocol) allowing the user to manage billing and maintenance, LAN, 4G & 3G. Dynamic Load Management minimises the risk of overloading the main fuse and DC leakage protection is in accordance with international standards (IEC 60264-7-722). It is suitable for a variety of locations including businesses, car parks, hotels, shopping centres and domestic use. Over the last year, Garo has completed installations across a number of high-profile organisations and facilities including Facebook, Musgraves, Universities (UCD), county council offices, shopping centres (Dundrum Town Centre) and many more. In Sweden, Garo’s EV chargers have been placed in Volvo’s R&D facility, Charge and Drive Highways Norway, all Swedavia airport car parks, Sweden’s Green Highway, McDonald's and multiple energy utility companies and service stations. For more information visit www.garo.ie/evcharging