- “Our lead-time is approximately one week from confirmation of order to installation.”
- “Electric vehicles and solar pv are new to everybody.”
- “We would install more than 100 chargers in domestic services in a month.”
- “We have products that will work for everyone’s budget.”
Randridge Group is helping to lead the world away from traditional carbon-intensive industries towards renewable solutions, Randridge Group will be at the front and centre as the world moves away from traditional carbon-intensive industries towards renewable energy solutions, according to the company’s founder and managing director Charlie Quinn.
Randridge Group have been awarded three large projects over the course of the last 18 months, Quinn said.
The biggest is an electrical, instrumentation and automation EPC project for a 1.3 cubic metre tank storage facility project in Rotterdam that will be the largest fully automated tank farm in Europe when completed.
“We have also been awarded the NIS2 project for BASF in Antwerp and a 60 MW Energy from Waste (EfW) project in Aberdeen. We have recently acquired the Don O’Malley & Partners Consultant Engineering company to augment our engineering capabilities and bolt these to our existing construction skills.”
Quinn said the company would enable the push into the Red to Green renewable energy sectors such as wind, solar PV, battery storage, carbon capture and hydrogen generation.
“We have also added Darkin EV to the Randridge Group, which has now amalgamated
with our existing Randridge Technology business. This entity has now been rebranded as Randridge Darkin Charging Solutions (RDCS) to offer EV charging solutions to commercial, domestic, and public customers.
“We place a huge emphasis on health and safety and are extremely proud of our continued achievements in this area.” To enhance this area, Randridge Group has gained the ISO: 45001 Safety Standard during the year to add to their recent renewal of the VCA-P safety standard, which is a safety requirement in the Benelux region.
Despite the Covid situation, it has been quite a busy period for the company. Quinn’s plan for the coming months is to continue to grow the company into a major energy player. “We are actively chasing several further construction projects across Europe and the UK.
Speaking to Darren Kinsella and Jerome Flannery who manage RDCS & Randridge Technologies have expressed that the future is bright for the company who have recently became a CPO (charge point operator) to manage and operate public & private charging systems which connects to their back office platform (StopNtop) which allows the operations team to monitor, control and update charge points remotely.
Over the years both companies have grown to facilitate EV charging solutions for Apartments, Domestic premises, Communal charging for new housing developments, commercial premises and they were recently awarded a public infrastructure rollout for a local authority.
This would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the leading manufacturing partnerships they have in place.
There back-office platform partnership is with a leading company in Finland and offers them the access to 300+ Thousand charge points globally.
Their goal is to increase the public charging network in Ireland and to help the EV owners have a reliable infrastructure which helps decrease the worry of range anxiety, which is sometimes the cause of people not purchasing Electric Vehicles.
Mr Kinsella who is a current member of NSAI TC2 WG3 a group setup to improve the standards around Charging solutions and safety. highlighted he is very active in his role by helping other members achieve the correct standards and regulations for EV charging equipment in domestic & commercial premises.
Mr Flannery highlighted after visiting and training in other European countries and using there public charging infrastructure, what they have achieved and installed to date is amazing. Ireland as a country is behind, the transition to offer these services in public areas is too slow.
Our partnership with the Finish company to be a CPO and having interoperability between the other CPOs in Ireland is key to an impressive and reliable EV charging network for our Country.
Mr Kinsella stated Our knowledge is not just on the electrical side, it encompasses the infrastructure, vehicles and what the customer needs to meet their requirements. We love what we do, it is a hobby more than a job,’’ said Darren Kinsella.
“There is a lot of good to come out of what we’re doing.
We were able to adapt the business as well as utilising it from the beginning of the pandemic. We can talk to our customers in a different manner and at a different level than a car salesperson can as we all drive electric vehicles, so we know the range or tricks of the trade to get more range and that is what has led us to being the largest installer on volume in Ireland. We would install more than 150 chargers in domestic services in a month and we have got to that level due to the quality of our service, and products, our time keeping and communications amongst garages. We have never taken the personal touch out of the company either,’’ enthused Mr Kinsella.
Having recently added a new service to the group, Mr Flannery mentioned “Energrid “ a Solar Pv company which specialises in Solar Pv solutions, battery storage & ,Micro generation. This new addition to the Randridge group will allow us to a be a one stop shop as such, an area where we can assess a premises and help reduce its carbon footprint by Installing Micro generation and battery storage as well as adding electric vehicle charging stations for the fleet. Bringing that property from Red to GREEN.
“Electric vehicles and Solar PV is new to everybody and nobody is aware of the different specifications, the real range on electric vehicles or even the charger to get installed when combining solar or micro generation to a premises, We bring the client through the whole process, from initial site survey, through bespoke charge-point solutions to final commissioning. Our technicians are highly trained on each of our products we offer, ’’ explained Jerome Flannery.
We are SEAI, Triple E and Safe Electric Approved and all of our installations are completed to Safe Electric Standard and manufactures guidelines.
Supplying everything from your standard home 7.4kw charging unit to the powerful 360kW DC charge points found in commercial premises & petrol stations worldwide.
Our partnerships allow us to provide all-inclusive EV charging packages to domestic, commercial and public sectors nationwide and a high-tech, easy to use charging app, StopNtop, to make public & smart private charging that much simpler.
At RDCS, we take great pride in each & every EV charge point installation we complete, large or small. We manage every project from start to finish using our extensive experience and knowledge. We work across Ireland, the UK and the Middle East due to partnerships with major manufacturers which has led to us having a larger market with more products to offer to clients,’’ imparted Mr Flannery & Mr Kinsella
Some frequently asked questions answered by Mr Kinsella and Mr Flannery
How long will it take to fully charge my EV?
This will depend entirely on the size of the battery in your EV, and whether it was completely empty when plugging in. You must also take into consideration the power behind your EV charger.
Is planning permission required to install an EV charger?
No, generally planning permission isn’t required for installing an EV charger. However, if you are living in rented accommodation you should always clear it with your landlord prior to installation.
Are your electricians registered with Safe Electric?
All of our technicians are registered with Safe Electric and they will be issued with a certificate following your installation. You will also receive a certificate, and we will maintain a copy for our records.
What is your lead-time?
Our lead-time is approximately one week from confirmation of order to installation. We know how eager our customers are to install their new EV / PHEV charger and we try our best to keep within this time frame, however sometimes during busy periods this is just not feasible. We will always work with you to arrange a convenient date for installation.
What guarantee comes with your charger?
Our EV chargers each come with an individual warranty on parts & labour. Tell us which EV charger you are interested in & we can confirm warranty length.
Which charge-point would best suit my EV / PHEV?
Each EV / PHEV is different and so their charging needs & portals also differ. Contact us and we can advise you of the best charge-point for your EV.
What happens if I upgrade my car?
Our charge-points are suitable for all types of EV’s & PHEV’s, meaning you are fully covered for future purchases. Additionally, all of our charge-points are fully up-gradable so if you install a 16A charger, but upgrade to a BEV down the line; it will be a simple matter of upgrading the wiring inside the charger to avail of the higher rate (32A).
Can I avail of any grants to help with the cost of EV Charger installation?
For our customers in Ireland, the SEAI have a new grant offering up to €600 to help cover the installation of a home charge-point. If you live in Northern Ireland or the UK, you may be eligible for the OLEV grant. Unfortunately no grants are available to businesses per se, but they can reclaim the cost of installation through the ACA tax incentive. .
I live in an apartment, can I still install an EV charge-point?
Installing an EV charge in an apartment complex is slightly different, but certainly possible. Firstly, if you are in rented accommodation, you will need to ask permission from your landlord prior to installation.
Once you have permission, give us a call and we can run through the many options we have available.
Can the charger be installed from a meter box outside, or does it have to be connected to the fuse-board inside?
There are currently proposals to amend the rules and allow home-owners to install an EV charge and connect into an outside meter box, but unfortunately at the moment, you must connect it back to the main distribution box inside. Your SEAI grant is also dependent on this.
We know there are many products for many customers out there to suit different requirements and aesthetics. We have products that will work for everyone’s budget, revealed Mr Kinsella.
