Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2020
630. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will make a roadmap available indicating the plans in place to roll out vehicle charging points to small and medium-sized rural towns aside from large urban centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13331/20]
View answerThere are currently over 650 standard public charge points and almost 100 fast charge stations (the majority of which are operated by the ESB) in Ireland. An interactive map showing ESB charger locations can be found at www.esb.ie/ecars. The Government is investing, in a sustained way, in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure right across the country. The measures that have been put in place are providing significant support for the development of Ireland’s charging network, both public and private. The Government is committed to increasing this network in the years to come so as to ensure good accessibility across a well-developed and modern charging network.
Already €10 million has been committed from the Climate Action Fund to assist the ESB in expanding their charging network and this has leveraged another €10 million investment from ESB. This intervention alone will result in:
- 90 additional high power chargers (150kW chargers), each capable of charging two vehicles
- 52 additional fast chargers (50kW charger), which may replace existing 22 kW chargers
- 264 replacement standard chargers (22kW chargers) to more modern technology and with each consisting of two charge points.
The fast charging infrastructure will be mainly concentrated on or near national roads and motorways to enable longer journeys to be completed. The first two multi charger sites have been delivered in Galway (M6) and Kildare (M9) with additional fast charger installation having already taken place in Dublin, Cavan, and Meath. Further plans are in place for a number of other sites in Galway, Kerry, Louth, Sligo and Westmeath.
EV infrastructure will be deployed in a fundamentally different way compared to fossil fuel infrastructure. Charging while at home accounts for around 80% of EV charging in Ireland and it is best practice, internationally, to promote home charging as the most is a convenient and cost-effective common and cheapest form of charging. The Government will seek to maintain this home charging level to 2030. On street charging will also be provided by Local Authorities (government supports already in place), and as the market develops, it will increasingly be provided by private enterprise also.
Managing this complex charging mix will require close cooperation across Central Government, Local Government and private enterprise. In this regard the Government will continue to review national charging needs, and will further develop its EV infrastructure accordingly with a view to ensuring that its policies promote a charging network that meets demand across both urban and rural locations.
