THE CURRENT RULES for on street charging are preventing households in Dublin’s inner city from making to switch to electric vehicles, the city’s Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said today.

McAdam has called on Transport, Climate and Energy Minister Darragh O’Brien to prioritise legislation to address restrictions in Ireland’s private wires rules. 

These rules are currently preventing EV charging for households without driveways. In Dublin’s inner city, as well as in older neighbours, many homes do not have their own private driveways, with motorists often parking on the street.

McAdam said this meant that people who would like to switch to an EV are “effectively locked out of home charging and must rely on public charging infrastructure”.

Many EV owners opt to charge their vehicles overnight when the cost of electricity is lower if they have a NightSaver meter.

McAdam said the transition to EVs “must work for everyone” and a “clear legislative framework” would allow local authorities such as Dublin City Council to pilot cross pavement charging systems in appropriate streets and neighbourhoods.

In October 2025, then Transport Minister O’Brien announced Ireland had met its 2025 goal of having 195,000 EVs on Irish roads. Ireland has committed to ensuring that 30% of the national vehicle fleet is electric by 2030.

However, the upfront cost of EVs remains out of reach for many Irish motorists – as well as some people facing issues with how they would manage to reliably charge their vehicle should they switch.

McAdam said: “Across the inner city of Dublin there are thousands of homes where residents park outside their front door on the street and those households cannot safely connect a charger from their home.

“We need guarantees that the private wires legislation will allow electricity to be supplied from a private home to a car parked on the street.”

He said he would be raising the issue with O’Brien and the relevant departments in the coming weeks with a view to enabling pilot schemes in Dublin.