Government investment a 'drop in the ocean' of what's needed for electric vehicle charging

The committee heard that there are 1,500 public charging stations where fast chargers are already installed or could be added. File photo

Government investment in fast, public electric vehicle charging has been a “drop in the ocean” and 10 times more funding is needed, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Speaking to the Oireachtas Transport Committee, representatives from private companies in the sector said significant investment and grid improvements are needed to support the Government aims of more electric vehicles on the roads in the coming years.

“The Government has invested a lot, via ZEVI (Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland), in inroads to develop fast charging and that needs to be extended further,” Ollie Chatten, CEO of EZO EV charging, said.

“I mean, it’s a drop in the ocean that will roll out 500 [fast] chargers in the next 18 months. We need 10 times that. So, we need significantly more funding.” 

The committee heard that there are 1,500 public charging stations where fast chargers are already installed or could be added.

While the Government has exceeded its goal of having 195,000 electric vehicles on the roads by the end of 2025, meeting its targets of having over 600,000 by 2030 also requires significantly more publicly available chargers.

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Darren Kinsella, from the EV Charging Alliance of Ireland, told the committee that forward planning was impossible given the pressure on the grid and the long wait for applications to be granted, while calling for grid reinforcing to be accelerated.

“While the EV infrastructure strategy has been a welcome first step, without significant investment the number of public charge points will fall well short of what’s needed for 2030 targets,” he said. “Between now and 2030, we’ve a narrow window to make decisive progress.” 

The speakers drew attention to analysis from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council that Ireland faces multi-billion euro fines in the future if it doesn’t meet binding targets on cutting emissions.

EZO’s founding director Gerry Cash said: “Time is not on our side. There are huge fines coming for Ireland if we don’t deliver on those carbon targets. We’ve got an opportunity. Innovations are there.

They’re tried and tested in other jurisdictions. We only need to review our own rulebook to avail of them. 

Mr Cash said co-locating battery banks beside charging installations could mitigate the dependence on the electricity grid and also provide better coverage around the country. "We need them in far away places," he said, referencing Donegal, Achill Sound and Caherciveen.

Separately, Mobility Partnership Ireland — representing companies operating shared mobility like car, bike and scooter renting — called for the extension of TaxSaver schemes to also allow workers to set aside pre-tax income for spending on bike share, car share or rentals.

Its chair Hugh Cooney said: “We hope the committee sees the merit in this, and we will work with you to pave the way for this to become a reality in the near term.”