Ireland has a blank canvas to get EV charging infrastructure right, says Ryan

Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), which was formed under the Department of Transport a year ago, was tasked with developing the draft guidelines for electric vehicle charging points.

Ireland has a "blank canvas to get it right" in ramping up electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the coming years, according to Eamon Ryan.

The Transport and Environment Minister was speaking as a public consultation was launched on universal design guidelines that have been drafted for new EV charging across the country.

Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), which was formed under the Department of Transport a year ago, was tasked with developing the draft guidelines.

It said the likes of the National Transport Authority, international accessibility experts, disabled persons organisations, disability associations, and charging point operators were consulted.

Mr Ryan said: "In Ireland, there are currently no specific guidelines that provide universal design recommendations for EV charging infrastructure. We have a blank canvas to get this right — to be leaders in the world for accessibility and functionality."

The guidelines have been developed to support the rollout of well-designed, easy-to-use charging infrastructure across the country, he said.

Climate Action Plan

The Government's Climate Action Plan aims to have around 950,000 EVs on Irish roads by the end of the decade but experts have cast doubt on the figures, saying barriers like cost and a dearth of a second-hand market are hampering progress, despite a significant rise in motorists already making the switch from petrol or diesel cars.

According to projections from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from June, approximately 554,000 EVs will be on the road by 2030 without additional measures taken to improve emissions reductions. This includes approximately 404,000 passenger full EVs and 89,000 plug-in hybrids, it said.

With additional measures, that would get to 943,500 EVs on the road by 2030, as a result of the implementation of the Climate Action Plan 2023, the EPA projected. This includes 845,000 private EVs, and 95,000 commercial EVs.

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The Irish Electric Vehicle Association (IEVA) wrote to the ESB's eCARS division and Mr Ryan last month to outline what it says are prohibitive costs around charging.

Calling for the cost of DC fast charging at eCARS be reduced immediately to pre-Ukraine-war levels, IEVA chief executive Eamon Stack said, "Our members were shocked at the over 100% cost increase last year and even more upset at the failure to reduce the cost now. Our charges are among the highest in Europe."