Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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My constituency colleague, Senator Robbie Gallagher, wishes to raise the need for the Minister for Transport to make a statement on the availability of electric vehicle charging points, particularly in the counties of Monaghan, Cavan and Meath.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, is very welcome to the House this morning and I thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to be here. This morning I want to raise the need for electric vehicle, EV, charging points throughout counties Monaghan, Cavan and Meath. EcoXpress, which is the first all-electric courier company operating in the Republic of Ireland, is based in Monaghan. It has four electric vans servicing County Monaghan, three electric vans servicing County Cavan and five electric vans servicing counties Louth and Meath. As the company grows, it intends to increase the fleet of vehicles. The feedback from clients is very positive in that they are happy to see this reduction in CO2 emission levels. It goes without saying that the nature of the courier business demands speed and efficiency as top goals.

Unfortunately, I am saddened to say this morning that this company is experiencing great difficulty with the lack of fast-charging points for its vehicles. Monaghan town has only one fast-charging location and that can take approximately 40 minutes to charge a vehicle up to 80% of its charging capacity. Sometimes, when they arrive at a charging point, drivers discover that another vehicle is already there or perhaps there is even a queue of vehicles waiting for the charging point. It is worth noting that Monaghan would traditionally be seen as a halfway point for people from the north of the country, for example Donegal, Derry or north Tyrone, when they are travelling to Dublin. Monaghan will always be seen as a halfway point and perhaps this goes some way to highlighting the increased usage of those charging points in that particular area. Other towns such as Carrickmacross similarly have only one fast-charging location. Unfortunately, from time to time these charging points have broken down and have been broken down for a number of days, and apparently other parts of the country are also experiencing similar difficulties with fast-charging points.Government policy on EVs is quite clear for those who can afford them. They are the way to go. Home charging is seen as the primary method of charging the majority of EVs in Ireland. It is convenient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. It is very cost-effective if the special low night-time rate can be availed of to charge a vehicle. That seems to be a sensible way for domestic users to charge their EVs because, typically, their journeys involve going from A to B and back to A again. However, drivers of commercial vehicles, particularly couriers, may have to make multiple journeys on any given day. Since they could be away from early morning and on the road all day, they totally depend on the fast-charging infrastructure, be it in counties Monaghan, Cavan, Louth, Meath or elsewhere.

The Government has identified the transition to EVs for those who can afford them as critical if we are to deliver on our climate change targets. Unfortunately, the scarcity of charging points does not encourage people to change over to EVs, particularly if they are in the commercial world and most particularly if they are in the courier business. This issue requires immediate attention. I hope the Minister of State will have good news not only for the company I mentioned but also for the many companies and individuals who are thinking of changing over to EVs.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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For once, I will take some latitude in the Chair. I congratulate the Senator on raising this important local issue, which I, too, can relate to. I thank him for it.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Government's policy on the increased usage of EVs is primarily driven by the climate action plan, which sets out a target of having 945,000 EVs on Irish roads by 2030. To support these EVs, Ireland has a comprehensive charging network available to EV owners to charge their vehicles. Several operators are providing charging points, with the majority being rolled out by EasyGo and the ESB through its ecars programme. Each provider has a map outlining the availability of charging points that is updated in real-time.

Charging-point operators in Ireland mainly provide charging points that are the standard 22 kW or the higher 50 kW or 150 kW. Standard charging points are located on streets and at strategic destinations, such as train stations, hotels and shopping centres. The fast and high-powered charging, HPC, points are mainly focused along the motorways.

In addition to the charging points on the main network, charging points are provided at locations such as places of employment and private car parks. Currently, there are approximately 2,000 charging points in Ireland, and this number is continuing to grow.

A sum of €10 million from the climate action fund was committed to support ESB investment in the charging network, and this has leveraged a further investment of €10 million, from the ESB. This intervention alone will result in 90 additional high-powered chargers, each capable of charging two vehicles; 52 additional fast chargers, which may replace existing standards chargers; and the replacement of 264 standards chargers with more modern technology and with each consisting of two charge points. The project is due to be completed in 2022.

With regard to the three Border counties the Senator has mentioned, the Department of Transport is informed by ESB ecars that its charging network currently includes the following: in County Meath, 24 standard charge points, six fast chargers and two HPC points; in County Louth, 24 standard charge points and four fast chargers; and in County Cavan, ten charge points and one fast charger. ESB ecars is to begin work next month to install a HPC hub in County Monaghan. Work to install HPC locations in Trim and Navan, County Meath, will be completed by mid-2022. ESB ecars is in negotiation with private landowners with regard to the provision of a new HPC hub in County Cavan.

The FASTER project is a joint initiative aimed at supporting the installation, by May 2023, of 73 rapid 50 kW-capacity EV charging stations across both jurisdictions within Ireland, as well as in Scotland, and it has been awarded €6.4 million from the EU INTERREG VA programme. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, which administers the scheme, has informed the Department that, to date, three local authorities have submitted applications for funding, while a further 13 have requested application forms. Louth County Council is seeking funding for the installation of 20 points.

The Senator inquired about County Monaghan. I do not have any information in my reply, but the primary focus of the scheme is to support the installation of infrastructure that will facilitate owners of EVs who do not have access to private parking spaces but who rely on parking their vehicles in public places only.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. He stated there are plans to expand the rolling out of charging points in the region. That is very much welcome. I would be grateful if he could get me more detail specifically on the plans for County Monaghan. County Cavan will see an increase, as will counties Louth and Meath.

The Minister of State mentioned Monaghan in a certain context, but I am here to give voice to the courier company in question and many others who are calling for more charging points to be installed. If we are to encourage people who can afford to change to an EV to do so, it is vital that we put in place the infrastructure to support them. This is particularly the case for a courier company, whose business will be judged on – and grow based on – how successfully it does its business. If a company cannot charge its vehicles, it cannot deliver its goods. This would have an adverse effect on business. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could get me more specific details, particularly on County Monaghan.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator. We are all at one here. The Senator's lobbying for County Monaghan is very effective. I thank him. He has support from the Leas-Chathaoirleach. As the Senator will be aware, the Government is fully committed to supporting the significant expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network over the coming years. The Department of Transport is working closely with several key stakeholders, including those in local government, to ensure EV infrastructure will stay ahead of demand. The Senator is correct that we need to be ahead of the curve because EVs are the way forward.

The programme for Government commits to publishing an EV infrastructure strategy to facilitate the uptake of EVs. Once completed, it will provide a key framework for ensuring that we can continue to have sufficient infrastructure in place to keep ahead of demand. It is envisaged that the strategy will be published early next year. I will ask the Department to get the Senator information pertaining to County Monaghan.