A new community electric vehicle (EV) pilot has been rolled out in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim.

The Leitrim Volunteer Centre will have the use of a new Corsa-e for its daily trips.

Led by ESB and supported by Leitrim County Council, this six-month pilot involves the installation of a new charge point at The Hive, Carrick-on-Shannon by Leitrim County Council with the infrastructure remaining in place after the programme is completed.  

The aim of the project is to assess the needs and demands of community and rural EV-sharing initiatives, and to develop electric transport solutions to complement the plans recently set out in the revised Climate Action Plan.  

Leitrim Volunteer Centre has a volunteer driving scheme in place in Carrick-on-Shannon with 27 volunteers and 40 clients, with all the trips taken in their own personal vehicles. The Centre will manage the pilot programme including access to the car.  

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Speaking at the launch of the pilot in Carrick-on Shannon, Donal Phelan, Innovation Manager at ESB, said: "ESB is delighted to launch a new pilot which was developed in our X_Potential Incubator programme. This pilot is another example of our commitment to testing innovative, sustainable initiatives that will enable electrification of transport to be affordable and accessible. We are proud to support the work being done by Leitrim Volunteer Centre and look forward to seeing how this pilot will help their service offering while we also commend Leitrim County Council for supporting this important project."

The Corsa-e – leased by ESB from Enterprise – has a range of 337km, offering ample charge for one day’s driving in the locality. Users will also have access to ESB's network of more than 1,350 EV chargers for their requested trips. 

Josephine Stroker, Manager of Leitrim Volunteer Centre, added: "We are delighted to be part of this exciting initiative. It will be an invaluable addition to the Leitrim Community Car Scheme which provides a vital service to those who use it in County Leitrim. The scheme transports people to essential medical appointments with the support of an amazing, dedicated and selfless group of volunteers."

As part of the project, data on how users avail of the service will be analysed such as how they travel to The Hive, and where and when they required charge top-ups on their journeys. It is planned that community groups and local people may have access to the Corsa-e, pending availability and approvals.