Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
222. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Transport the target numbers for public electric vehicle chargers for each county in each of the years 2020 to 2030, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40916/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the electric vehicle (EV) charging network over the coming years.
To date, almost all EV charging infrastructure delivered in Ireland delivered has been done so on a commercial basis, with little government subvention. This is expected to change in 2026, with a significant step up in delivery of government-procured EV infrastructure, with national road EV infrastructure, sports club EV infrastructure and a number of Local Authority pilots all to be delivered this year.
While Ireland does not have targets for the number of publicly accessible EV charging stations by county, the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) sets binding national targets for all Member States to ensure adequate deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure for the road, rail, maritime and aviation sectors. It also defines unified technical standards and requirements for user access, data sharing and payment systems to ensure consistency and interoperability across the EU. The requirements include minimum power output and the maximum distance allowable between recharging pools (one or more recharging stations in one specific location).
In order to achieve Ireland’s EU targets under AFIR, it is expected that there will be 3,200 – 6,210 public chargers required nationally by 2030, depending on the level of power supplied at each. AFIR requirements state that there should be 1.3kW of capacity on the national network per BEV and 0.8kW capacity per PHEV.
The National EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy outlines the requirements for publicly accessible charging and installing EV Infrastructure that is capable of meeting user needs. This strategy is currently being revised, and a refreshed strategy for 2026-2028 was published for consultation between February and April.
