Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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70. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide an update on the roll-out of electric car chargers nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27267/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the electric vehicle (EV) charging network over the coming years.

The number of publicly available charge points in Ireland has increased from 1,700 in September 2022 to 2,400. To achieve Ireland’s EU targets under the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), it is expected that there will be 3,200 – 6,210 public chargers required nationally by 2025.

The EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025 sets out the Government’s ambition regarding the delivery of this network to support up to 195,000 electric cars and vans by the middle of the decade.

Arising from this strategy, the National EV Charging Network Plan, published in May 2024, will see chargers installed every 60km on major roads.

Also published in May was the draft Regional and Local EV Charging Network Plan, which focuses on neighbourhood and destination charging locations and will be led by Local Authorities in partnership with both public and private sectors.

The finalised Universal Design Guidelines for EV Charging Infrastructure were published in May 2024 and outline the key considerations when designing, installing, and operating EV charging stations.

A range of new charging infrastructure schemes are being developed which will help provide another critical link in the overall network for public charging, including:

• A motorway infrastructure scheme, administered by TII, that will deliver banks of high powered chargers every 60km across the motorway network by 2025.

• A second high powered scheme, to be administered by TII, to provide banks of high powered chargers along the primary and secondary national road network.

• A Shared Island funded Sports Club scheme, which will install up to 200 fast chargers in sports clubs on the island of Ireland

• An EU Just Transition Fund supported scheme, which is planned to install 60-80 chargers in the Just Transition area in the midlands

• Local Authority pilot schemes, funding the roll out of EV charging in Local Authorities who have already developed local EV network plans,

while supporting the development of local EV Network plans in other areas

These new sites, in addition to those under other destination schemes currently planned will be delivered in 2024 and 2025.