James Lawless
Question:11. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if he will address a matter in relation to EV charging (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16790/24]
View answerWednesday, 17 April 2024
Questions (11)
Written answers
The Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the electric vehicle charging network over the coming years. Having an effective and reliable charging network is an essential part of enabling drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles.
It should be noted that price setting by electricity suppliers is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned, rather than the Department of Transport. Each such company has its own different approach to pricing decisions over time, in accordance with factors such as their overall company strategic direction and developments in their cost base.
As such, any changes to the cost of charging are subject to the pricing models implemented by charge point operators in the case of public EV charging.
There are no current plans to introduce regulation on charging costs within the EV charging sector.
If the majority of charging can be done at home, then EVs are significantly less costly to run than petrol or diesel cars. The Government EV charging strategy prioritises home and neighbourhood charging for this reason, and public charging is then used as a "top up" charge.