Back in the halcyon days of 2010, Ireland had a chance to take the lead in EVs. Now we are struggling to keep up. Photograph: iStocksaid Ireland should strive to be a world leader in electric car development for its potential knowledge benefits as much as for its ability to reduce our oil dependency.
Much of it is merely a repeat of earlier announcements, this one focused on the public charging infrastructure on our national roads. A cornerstone of the report is the promise to provide rapid charging points at 60km intervals along motorway routes. For the 500km designated the “core road network” – such as the M1 from the Border to Dublin – the State must install 400kW charging pools on the road at 60km intervals in both directions by 2025.
Clara Ouvrier, electric vehicle policy officer at T&E, said: “Ireland has not yet reached its charging deployment targets for 2024, when other EU countries with similar EV penetration rates have exceeded them already. One potential solution would be to focus on installing charging hubs in the current fuel forecourt network, which offer ancillary services like shops and cafes where motorists can wait while their cars are charging.
He points to one forecourt operator who estimated the cost of installing four ultra-fast chargers on its site at €500,000. And in this case, there were no planning challenges lodged. There’s also the question of infrastructure grants. With regular changes and amendments to the supports for EVs and its infrastructure, it is understandable if owners of suitable locations for public charging points are waiting to see whether grants will be introduced if the Government struggles to deliver on its plans.The T&E report recommends that charger reliability is kept to 98 per cent or better, an ambitious target considering how frequently EV drivers complain of broken chargers.