Irish Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has announced 53 new high-power recharging hubs to service the expanding EV fleet across Ireland’s national road network.
An allocation of almost €8m will be provided to support grants for recharging infrastructure at the selected sites, with chargers set to be in place by the end of this year.
The new sites will deliver 175 new fast and ultra-fast recharging points, at 53 locations along the national road network, making it quicker and easier for EV drivers to top up on longer journeys.
The announcement is part of a wider plan to build a reliable recharging network across the country, with the distance between recharging hubs to be 60km or less.
O'Brien commented: “We’re taking real, practical steps to make electric vehicles work for everyone. With more chargers, more choice, and more support, we hope even more people will feel confident making the switch to electric. These high-powered chargers are a key step in that process. We’re committed to building a sustainable and cleaner transport system, and that means making it easy to charge wherever you are.”
The recharging hubs are funded through the Light Duty Vehicle (LDV) initiative operated by Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), and delivered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). This phase of the initiative focused on over 1,200km of national single carriageway roads. Enterprises such as petrol/service station operators, car park owners, hotels, supermarkets/retail outlets, and others with publicly accessible sites, could apply through a competitive grant process for funding. The total allocation for this aspect is €7.9 million.
Peter Walsh, CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, commented: “Working in partnership with ZEVI and the private sector, this scheme is helping us build the kind of infrastructure people can rely on: fast, efficient and accessible.”
The government says the 53 recharging hubs will significantly improve coverage on the relevant roads. Efforts will continue to seek to address any sections of the 1,200km network requiring additional support, where it was not possible to make sufficient awards under this phase of the grant scheme programme.
The announcement is part of the wider ZEVI National Road Network EV Charging Plan, which previously awarded grant funding to deliver 131 new high-power recharging points at 17 locations along the motorway/dual-carriageway network. An additional scheme to support recharging infrastructure across another 3,000km of the national road network is also currently underway, with applications closing in June.
It also complements other supports already in place, including the EV purchase grant, home charger grants, and the reduced VRT for EVs.