Mr. John Byrne:

Looking at the criteria for placing hubs or infrastructure is typically what we do on a day-to-day basis. A lot of this has been iterated over time and we use analytics. Some of the relevant inputs would be the traffic volumes and flows at a particular site, the capacity and speed of the infrastructure and whether the flows and location will support that infrastructure. Another factor is the space that is available on the site. Typically, the space that is required for EV charging infrastructure, depending on the scale of the operation we plan to build at a site, can be excessive. It requires planning permission in many cases. In some locations, space can be at a real premium, particularly in heavily urbanised areas. That is a very big consideration for us.

Grid capacity would also be a factor. This is not just an issue in Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. We operate across three jurisdictions, namely, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and this is a difficulty for us in all those jurisdictions. Obviously, the cost-effective availability of grid capacity at the location is a key criterion.

A criterion we have seen massively increase in value or perception in people's minds is on-site amenity, including issues such as personal safety and accessibility. All of those things have to be taken into account.

Another criterion relates to what the Deputy said earlier about the possible overproliferation of EV charging infrastructure. When considering any new infrastructure, we typically consider the proximity of our other chargers and also any competition in the locality.