Powering up for 2,000 electric cars by end of 2011

THE ESB and Department of Energy are predicting that 2,000 electric cars will be on the country’s roads by the end of next year — even though we have just 100 so far.

Unveiling its first two electric vehicle (EV) charge points in Dublin yesterday, ESB chief executive, Padraig McManus said they intend supplying 3,500 points by the end of 2011.

As this major campaign to transform the country’s roads gathered pace, the head of Renault’s Electric Vehicles (EV), Thierry Koskas was also in Dublin. Their family EV, which can seat up to five people, is due on the market by the end of next year. According to Mr Koskas, Renault/Nissan have labelled Ireland as a “key EV market” due to the “Irish political will to move over to clean transport ” and “its limited geography”.

As part of the ESB’s plans, up to 2,000 charge points will be installed in homes in the next 21 months and a further 1,500 on-street charge points built — mainly in cities first.

A total of 30 fast chargers will also be installed on motorways — each 60km apart. Nine of these chargers will be installed by the end of the year and another 18 will be built next year.

Five hundred public charge points will also be installed in Dublin, 135 in Cork and 45 in Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

Mr McManus said the ESB are working towards a decarbonised national transport system by 2035.

“We are working closely with Government, the Commission for Energy Regulation and key players to create the right conditions as Ireland is an ideal model in terms of scale for this development. We will target cities first but there will be at least one charge point built for every town with a population of more than 1,500,” he said.

According to the Department of Energy, running an electric car costs 3c per mile as opposed to 15c per mile for a conventional car.

On-street EV charging will be free until the end of this year but a payment system will be developed so all electricity suppliers can compete through a common physical charging infrastructure.

The Government is seeking to have 10% of all vehicles electrically run by 2020. It is aiming to have 6,000 EVs on Irish roads by the end of 2012.

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan described the EV infrastructure development as “a genuine first for Ireland”. “Just over a year ago, the government announced its intention that 10% of the Irish motoring fleet will be electric by 2020. We have seen great progress since then. Ireland will be among the first in the world with this kind of nationwide infrastructure. It is bold, ambitious and will show Ireland as a global leader in the green economy”, he added.

Mr Koskas said the Irish EV market will need more incentives so EVs can compete with petrol/diesel cars on price.

Renault’s family car will be similar to a Megane saloon and will have a driving range of 160km before it will have to be charged. It will drive at speeds of up to 140km per hour. It’s expected that further government incentives will mean that it will cost approximately the same price as a petrol/diesel Megane. It’s likely the battery will be leased at an annual charge from Renault.