An extra 1,000 charge points for electric vehicles are to be rolled out under the Government’s Climate Action Plan over the next five years.
My Department, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, will be providing funding for local authorities to increase the number of charge points around the country.
We are planning for a major increase in the use of electric vehicles (EVs) to reach a target of 936,000 EVs on Irish roads by 2030 under the Climate Action Plan.
It is vital the we have the infrastructure in place for current and future demand. People need to feel confident about the switch to EVs so we are investing in the network.
There has been significant growth in the numbers of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road with an additional 5,000 registrations this year alone.
The new scheme will complement 90 high speed chargers, 50 fast chargers and 500 upgraded charge points that are part of the ESB eCars project (pictured) that has received €10 million in Government funding.
Increasing on-street chargers will remove one of the main barriers to switching to electric for people who do not have their own driveway. It also addresses range anxiety, where people need to know that they will be able to recharge their vehicles quickly and efficiently.
The local authorities will choose and operate the charge points and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland will manage the scheme.
The Climate Action Plan supports a range of measures to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles as part of the drive to reach a target of 70% renewable electricity by 2030.
These include a purchase grant of up to €5,000 for battery and plug-in hybrid vehicles, Vehicle Registration Tax relief of up to €5,000 for battery vehicles and up to €2,500 for plug-in hybrids, Benefit in Kind relief for battery vehicles of up to €50,000, grants of up to €600 towards the installation cost of domestic charge points, motor tax of €120 for battery vehicles, toll discounts, incentives for taxi, limousine and hackney operators and accelerated capital allowances for businesses investing in EVs.
The Government is also introducing new regulations to require non-domestic buildings with more than 20 parking spaces to provide charge points.