Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 October 2020
28. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications the number of electric charging points in County Wexford; the location of same; his plans for further roll out of electric charging points; the timelines in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31936/20]
View answerGovernment is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of our electric vehicle charging network over the coming years.
Currently, there are 16 standard chargers (32 charge points) and four fast chargers on the ESB network in Co Wexford. Seven of the standard chargers (14 charge points) have been replaced in the last year through support provided under the Climate Action Fund where we have committed €10 million to promote the charging network across the country. The four ESB eCars fast chargers are located at:
- Gorey Services Station, M11, Gorey, Co Wexford
- Maxol Service Station, Arklow Road, Gorey, Co Wexford
- Circle K/Topaz Service Station, Rosslare Road, Drinagh, Co Wexford
- Amber/Centra Service Station, Rosslare Road, Killinick, Co Wexford
An interactive map showing ESB public chargers can be found at https://esb.ie/ecars/charge-point-map.
In addition to those charge points provided by ESB it should also be noted that private operators have installed destination chargers in locations such as hotels, shopping centres or places of employment while, private companies such as EasyGo, Ionity and Tesla are also installing charge points in various locations around Ireland.
As part of Budget 2021, the Government has provided €27 million to continue its financial support for the purchase of electric vehicles, as well as the installation of EV home chargers. In addition, my Department has allocated a further €2 million to SEAI in 2021 to facilitate the introduction of a new support scheme for destination chargers. This new scheme will complement the existing Public Charge Point Scheme which has been in place since September 2019 to provide funding to local authorities for the development of on-street public chargers. The primary focus of the Public Charge Point Scheme is to provide support for the installation of infrastructure which will facilitate owners of EVs, who do not have access to a private parking space but rely on parking their vehicles on public streets, to charge their EVs near their homes. A total of 75% of the capital costs is provided through a grant, up to a maximum of €5,000 per charge point.
My Department will continue to support this scheme into 2021 through the grants provided by SEAI and in parallel is also developing a charging infrastructure strategy, in line with the Programme for Government, which will ensure capacity keeps ahead of demand while also putting in place guidance for local authorities on how best to expand the network of public charge points at both local and regional level.
Combined with an effective public charging network, Ireland's home charging policy will help sustain and service the expected growth of electric vehicles on Irish roads. Charging while at home accounts for around 80% of electric vehicle charging in Ireland and it is best practice, internationally, to promote home charging as the most common and cheapest form of charging. To support home charging, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), on behalf of my Department, will continue to administer an EV Home Charger Grant providing up to €600 towards the purchase and installation of an EV home charger unit.
