Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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244. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of electrical charging points that are now installed here; and his plans for advancing the further deployment of electric vehicles here. [21832/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive sets all Member States a binding target that at least 10% of the energy used in the transport sector must come from renewable sources by 2020. Though Ireland aims to meet this target mainly through the use of sustainable biofuels, the increasing use of electric vehicles will also make a small contribution.

Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory based regulator. While I as minster have no function in the matter of charging infrastructure, I understand that the Electricity  Supply Board (ESB), through its ecars programme, is continuing to roll out both publicly accessible charging infrastructure and domestic charge points for electric vehicles. I am advised that at 12 July 2016, 911 public charge-points have now been installed nationally. These include 79 DC fast chargers, most of which have been installed mainly on the inter-urban roads. The location of these charge-points is available on the ‘ecars’ section of the ESB’s website at www.esb.ie.  In addition, ESB ecars has installed 1,229 domestic chargers and 542 chargers in commercial premises.

The Electric Vehicle Grant Scheme supports and incentivises, through grants of up to €5,000, the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in Ireland. These grants are in addition to the Vehicle Registration Tax reliefs of up to €5,000 which apply to EV and where technically feasible, customers who qualify for support under the scheme also qualify for a free domestic charge point installed by the ESB. The grant scheme commenced in 2011 and, to date the purchase of 1,438 new EVs has been supported.

In addition, work is underway in my Department to establish a taskforce, as set out in the Programme for Government, involving relevant Government Departments, agencies, industry and representative groups, to further examine the potential for the take-up of electric and other low emission vehicles.