Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
297. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Transport the amount of funding that has been given to each local authority for electric vehicle charging points over the past five years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41482/22]
View answerThe Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the electric vehicle (EV) charging network over the coming years. A draft national charging infrastructure strategy for the development of EV charging infrastructure, covering the crucial period out to 2025 was published for consultation in March. The draft strategy sets out the government’s ambition regarding the delivery of a public EV charging network to support up to 194,000 electric cars and vans by the middle of the decade. Responses and submissions received as part of the consultation are currently being considered in the development of the final Strategy for publication.
The Government’s EV target is a critical solution to reducing our transport emissions and is a key part of the strategy which also includes measures to reduce car journeys, through improved public and active transport networks.
Having an effective and reliable recharging network is essential to enabling drivers to choose electric. Home charging is the primary charging method for most Irish EV owners as it’s convenient and cheaper for the consumer as well assists in the overall management of the national grid. Over 80% of charging is expected to happen at home.
The existing Public Charge Point Scheme continues to be available during 2022 to provide local authorities with a grant of up to €5,000 to support the development of on-street public chargers. The primary focus of the scheme is to provide support for the installation of infrastructure which will facilitate owners of electric vehicles, who do not have access to a private parking space, but instead rely on parking their vehicles in public places near their homes to charge their EVs.
I can confirm to the deputy that three County Councils applications have been approved under the current Public Points Scheme. The number of charge points per County Council is outlined in the below table.
|
County |
Number of Charge Points Approved per applications |
|
Dublin City Council |
9 |
|
Louth County Council |
20 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
4 |
No funding has been drawn down yet under this scheme.
My Department has reviewed the Scheme and the draft Strategy sets out a number of additional actions to support delivery by local authorities, such as funding capital costs for civil and electrics works, as well as charge point installation, through the new Residential Charging Scheme.
My Department has also been working closely with some local authorities to develop pilot EV charging projects in their areas. In 2021, nearly €36,000 was granted to Dublin City Council to install an EV charging hub with further funding of over €52,000 being awarded to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2022 for a mobility hub including EV chargers and also streetlight charging.
My Department is continuing to explore further pilots with local authorities for delivery of EV charging infrastructure.
On 21st July I launched a new dedicated Office, Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, which will oversee and accelerate Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles. A suite of new of grants and initiatives have been launched and it has been announced that a new residential charging grant is in development which will focus on providing neighbourhood and residential charging solutions, particularly in areas where off-street charging is either limited or not possible. Further information on Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland is available at www.gov.ie/zevi.
