A TD has called for the Government to carry out a review into the use of EVs in the public sector, after a Galway Garda was forced to hitchhike to an emergency. 

Currently, the Garda car at Ballygar Station is an EV but it can only charge very slowly and this has caused them significant difficulties. 

The issue was raised yesterday at the Public Accounts Committee by Roscommon Galway TD Martin Daly, who said Gardaí need to have the “basic equipment to perform their professional duties”. 

“Essentially, we have a Guard covering a large area of east Galway, which is a big geographical area and was depending on an electric vehicle,” he described on The Claire Byrne Show.  

“He was based in Ballygara and the electric vehicle had to be collected in a town called Mountbellew, 10 miles away.

“The car was being used 365 days a year; it needed 25 hours to be charged.

“It would take about an hour to get 4% of the battery; there's a lot of figures there, but essentially, they were having to micromanage their journey.”

The independent TD explained the Garda in question now spends his time on duty calculating how far the EV will take him on its limited charge. 

“He gets called then to Clonbern, which is 22 miles from here in Ballygar, and he has only a charge of 22% on the car,” he said. 

“So, he drives 11 miles and then he knows that the car is not going to be able to get the car back to the base station.

“So, he stops the car and he has to hitch the last three miles to a very serious incident, which he looks after and then has to get a lift back to the car again and then drive to Ballygar. 

“At that point, the car now had no charge left in the battery and they had to call a tow truck to bring it to Ballinasloe to be charged.”

Deputy Daly said he is “fully supportive” of the switch to EVs but called for a review into their rollout in the public sector.

Main image: Members of Gardaí on patrol. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.