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Major drive is on to get quicker car-charging hubs built in key areas

Many new EVs could add up to 100km of range in just six minutes

Fast chargers will be introduced in strategic locations in a €20m investment as part of push for more power. Photo: Getty Images Expand

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Fast chargers will be introduced in strategic locations in a €20m investment as part of push for more power. Photo: Getty Images

Fast chargers will be introduced in strategic locations in a €20m investment as part of push for more power. Photo: Getty Images

Fast chargers will be introduced in strategic locations in a €20m investment as part of push for more power. Photo: Getty Images

Eddie Cunningham Twitter

The number of high-power charging units for electric vehicles will double this year as part of a €20m drive to boost the network and speed up charging times.

It means most new EVs should be able to add as many as 100km of range in around six minutes at those chargers – which will be strategically located.

Meeting the target with Climate Action Fund cash (€10m from the Government and €10m from ESB ecars) means ESB ecars is having its busiest year to date as it plans to urgently add and broaden the network.

This funding does not include the latest €100m government plan which is aimed at, among other things, having a fast charger every 60km on main roads within three years.

All fast chargers now being installed are 100kW, which means if a second car joins it will be able to get a 50kW charge. This is important because, up to now, mostly only one could be charging at one time.

They are going into places such as Westport, Clifden, Waterford and Dún Laoghaire. Three are built around north Dublin.

There is a big hub in Killarney which will be able to charge four vehicles at a time.

And last week the sod was turned at Barack Obama Plaza for four high-powered chargers that can take eight vehicles at the same time.

The Obama Plaza cluster will be the same size as the ever-busy Junction 14 outlet. And when the plaza is finished they will put in one at Kinnegad.

According to John Byrne, head of ESB ecars, they are trying to make up lost ground after difficulties with supply of materials in 2022.

There will also be many more hubs, including Waterford and Tipperary town. They are also building in Killarney, followed by Dingle and Cahersiveen.

“We started the year with 22 high-powered hubs and will have 42 by the end of the year,” Mr Byrne said.

There is an emphasis on serving the western parts of the country as they are putting a lot of chargers along the Wild Atlantic Way (and Donegal).

The drive is, in part, a response to criticism and comment on how slow some public chargers can be, with vehicle owners urging more high-power hubs and putting more chargers into them.

Mr Byrne conceded that 22kW units are quite slow, nevertheless there is constant demand for them, especially near terraced houses or apartments.

With 22kW the lowest, the next up are the 50kW chargers and these are being upgraded to 100kW at some locations.

And then you have high-powered charging hubs with 150kW.

Despite tales to the contrary, Mr Byrne says that typical chargers are working or ready for use 98/99pc of the time.

There has been a strong correlation between electricity price hikes and a fall-off in usage. It lasts about four to six weeks and then picks up.

There are tentative hopes that at some stage this year price reductions will be passed on to the consumer, but don’t hold your breath.

Those surging electricity prices to date have narrowed the economics of running an EV as opposed to a typical family diesel.

It is down to 10pc in EV savings in many cases now. Before the increases it could be as high as 60/70pc.

Pricing is to be introduced in the North next month.

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