Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 October 2020
33. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications the county councils that have applied for the electric vehicle public charge point grant; the reasons for the low uptake of the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29693/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Public Charge Point Scheme 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 this 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 in public places near their homes, to charge their EVs.
My Department, via the SEAI, currently provides a grant of up to €5,000 to support the installation of these charge points and this support will continue into 2021. Since the launch of the scheme, the SEAI has received requests from twelve local authorities for applications under the scheme with two local authorities submitting applications, which are currently being assessed for approval, to install a total of 24 charge points within their respective jurisdictions. In addition, the four Dublin local authorities are examining their approach for a network of charging infrastructure in the metropolitan area.
Local Government has been to the forefront in recent times in addressing the climate challenge and the sector will have a key role to play in helping to decarbonise our national fleet through facilitating the provision of EV charging infrastructure in appropriate locations at both the local and regional level.
In this regard it should be noted that my Department is working closely with a number of key stakeholders, including Local Government, on developing a strategy to ensure electric vehicle charging infrastructure stays ahead of demand. This includes developing appropriate guidance for local authorities in line with the Programme for Government and will ensure we can continue to expand our national charging network through the relevant SEAI supports for on street chargers.
