The Government has announced a new round of grants, which are being made available to try and help speed up the adoption of electric cars in Ireland. While the new grants don’t add to the existing VRT rebate nor the SEAI purchase grant, they do continue the grant structure for taxi and other public service vehicle operators as well as attempt to come up with a home charging solution.
Those without driveways
The problem with home charging is that while private home ownership in Ireland is high, and generally higher than in other European countries, the fact is that there is a significant number of people who live in terraced houses or apartments or who otherwise don’t have access to off-street parking where they can install a home charging point.
Rather than address the issue by rolling out much greater numbers of on-street charging points - as has been done in Sweden, for example - the Irish Government is instead going to try to encourage those with a home charger to rent it out to other EV users.
According to the Department of Transport: “To address a particular challenge of home-charging access, the Minister also introduced a Shared Charging Pilot Scheme. This innovative, peer-to-peer programme enables homeowners to rent their EV chargers to others through a booking platform, offering cost-effective charging options for EV owners who don’t have private off-street parking. The pilot will be supported by ZEVI and will be rolled out in urban, suburban and rural areas.”
Irish-developed home charger sharing app already exists
Commenting on the pilot, Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien said: “The Shared Charging Pilot Scheme will aim to make EV charging more accessible and affordable while easing demand on public infrastructure. The data gathered will be used to inform future charging rollout plans and help shape policies.”
The idea has been previously tried by private operators, such as GoPluggable, developed by Maebh Reynolds, an engineering graduate from Queen’s University Belfast.
In other grant news, the Department has also announced the continuation of the eSPSV grants for public service vehicles, mostly taxis but also private limousines and airport shuttle services. According to the Department: “The eSPSV Grant Scheme will continue in 2025 with a budget of a €12.5 million. The scheme offers up to €20,000 for taxi, hackney and limousine operators switching to electric vehicles, with up to €25,000 available for wheelchair-accessible models. Since its inception in 2018, this scheme has helped over 2,800 small public service vehicle (SPSV) operators make the switch to electric vehicles.”
Grants for electric motorbikes
Finally, there’s also a new round of grants for electric motorbikes, including €500 for L1e - B light two-wheel powered vehicles (maximum speed of 45km/h) and €1,000 for L3e two-wheel motorcycles (capable of exceeding 45km/h).
Announcing the initiatives, Minister O’Brien said: “These grants are another step towards creating a cleaner, more sustainable transport system in Ireland, and complement existing supports for electric cars, commercial vans and charging infrastructure. These initiatives reflect our Government’s commitment to a zero-emission future, providing individuals and businesses with the tools needed to help make the transition”.