The Department of Transport has announced the release of a new series of grants to roll out new high-speed charging points for electric cars. These new EV chargers will be targeted at national single-carriageway roads across 1,200km of the country.
60km intervals
The grants will stipulate that the charging points should be no more than 60km apart - as per EU regulations - and are being aimed at: “petrol and service station operators, car park owners, hotels, supermarkets and retail outlets, and anyone with a publicly accessible site within 3km driving distance of the [designated] roads.”
Officially, this is the ZEVI TII EV Recharging Infrastructure Light Duty Vehicle (LDV) National Road Grant Scheme, which is part of the broader ZEVI National Road Network EV Charging Plan. Earlier this year, the plan awarded grants for 131 new high-powered charging points at 17 locations across Ireland.
Operational by the end of 2025
The plan is that this new tranche of charging points should be operational by the end of 2025. Following that, there will be further grand schemes, including community-based schemes that target local destinations and neighbourhoods under the ZEVI Regional and Local EV Charging Network Plan.
Commenting on the launch of the new grant scheme, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said “Over the next year, between the motorway scheme already underway and this new scheme targeted at our national road network, we are set to see an enormous increase in the number of fast-charging hubs available to drivers. We are spending €100 million on our charging infrastructure to the end of 2025 and I want to see that exhausted as quickly as possible. EVs are an important part of our transport mix going forward and we want to make it easier for people to make the switch. Providing comfort of mind with more choice and availability of charging infrastructure is key to this.”
Peter Walsh, CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, said: “This scheme is one of several initiatives to support the objectives of the National Road EV Charging Network Plan. While the initial Scheme focused on installing EV rechargers along the motorway network, this new initiative broadens coverage to include more of the National Road Network, ensuring reliable access to recharging for a wider range of road users across the country. These efforts are key to building a more sustainable and efficient transport system nationwide.”
The scheme is open to applications from the 17th of October 2024 to the 15 of January 2025.
Better charging data
In addition to the new charging points, ZEVI and the Department of Transport are also laying out new plans for improved data collection and analysis when it comes to EV charging. According to the Department, the new data plans will: “Provide more transparency, especially when it comes to pricing, and it will tell drivers which operator owns the recharging point, whether the recharging point is compatible, the power capacity, and whether it’s operational or in use at the time. It also describes how Ireland will meet its regulatory obligations under the Intelligent Transport Systems Directive and Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation.”
The Department pointed out that all of this grant and data effort comes on the back of moves in the Budget to make electric commercial vehicles more attractive to fleet operators, as well as the extension of the €45,000 value write-down for EVs when it comes to Benefit in Kind taxation. The Department says that a new BIK rate for electric cars is being considered for 2026 onwards so as to: “give company car drivers the security to make the switch to electric.”