Minister Ryan launches new €21 million grant scheme to boost EV Charging Infrastructure

The Minster for Transport, Eamon Ryan T.D. has today announced the launch of a new €21m scheme to accelerate the development of high-powered Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Ireland’s road network.

In line with EU regulations, this initial scheme targets the motorway/dual-carriageway network, driving the installation of high-power recharging pools with 1200kW power output every 60 kilometres, with at least four 150kW recharging points in each pool. The grant aims to stimulate the private sector to provide new recharging pools by the end of 2025.

The scheme targets publicly available facilities within 3km driving distance of the motorway/dual carriageway network such as service area operators, hotels, retail outlets for example.

Future schemes, which will be rolled out over the coming year, will continue to target other parts of the road network as well as recharging at destinations and in neighbourhoods, further supporting Ireland’s Climate Action Plan targets and the country’s EV growth trajectory.

Commenting on the launch of the scheme, Minister Ryan said “This will help ensure that we have pools of high-speed chargers at dependable distances along our road network. It will give assurance to EV drivers that they will have accessible and rapid charging facilities on their journeys, driving even further EV adoption and helping to reduce our emissions.

Ireland is perhaps more suited to EVs than many countries because more of us live in houses where we have space to charge at home. This gives us a huge advantage and signs on it, with over 110,000 EVs on the road already. This scheme will back this advantage up, providing more reliability once we hit the road and ensuring reliability for those who may not be able to charge at home.”

Peter Walsh, CEO of TII, emphasises the scheme's significance in the delivery of road infrastructure:

“This initiative marks a significant leap towards enhancing services across our road network. We are committed to delivering robust recharging infrastructure that underpins economic growth and sustainable connectivity across Ireland's roads."

This initiative takes the form of a competitive grant process, adhering to General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) State Aid rules, and is designed to maximize the rollout out of recharging infrastructure.

This grant aid will support the capital costs of installing the new infrastructure, with a significant contribution towards other eligible costs receiving funding. Eligible costs under this scheme consist of a wide array of charging infrastructure-related expenses including construction, installation, upgrade, or extension of recharging infrastructure, as well as associated civil engineering works and Local Authority development consent fees.

Applicants must submit comprehensive plans for delivering recharging pools, detailing proposed recharging stations, amenities, costings, and information in relation to the location of the facilities. The application window runs from February 14 to April 10, 2024, with successful applicants to be notified by mid-2024. The new infrastructure funded under this scheme is targeted to be online by December 2025.

Further information is outlined in the scheme brochure which is available on www.tii.ie/evscheme. All submissions are to be made via https://www.etenders.gov.ie before noon on 10 April 2024.