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The Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, today (21 July 2022) announced a suite of grants and initiatives which will make it easier for people and businesses to make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) during the launch of Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland. The new dedicated Office will oversee Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles.
In total, Minister Ryan announced 4 new grant schemes and initiatives. Among them is a new apartment charging grant which will make it easier for people who live in apartments and multi-unit dwellings to charge an EV. He also announced an expansion to the home charger grant which will enable any tenants and homeowners to apply for a grant, whether they own an EV or not. This can also be used for visitor use or at rented accommodation.
A new trial to promote and encourage the electrification of the commercial fleet was also announced, giving businesses the opportunity to test an EV free of charge for at least 3 months. For sports clubs across the island of Ireland, there will be new funding to install a network of publicly accessible chargers for members and visitors. A full outline of the new grants and initiatives is provided below.
Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland’s principal focus is to enable the delivery of the ambitious electric vehicle targets under the Climate Action Plan. To ensure a fair and equitable transition to large scale zero emission vehicle use, the full range of needs for people and businesses across Ireland must be met, including ensuring a just transition for those in rural, Gaeltacht and Islands area. The existing and future EV charging infrastructure network must be accessible, safe and secure, benefiting communities and serving the needs of all citizens, including older people and people with disabilities. As well as infrastructure, a range of policy measures that could increase EV uptake will be considered ensuring, for example, wider access to EVs across society.
Irish people are increasingly moving to electric vehicles. There has been an increase in the purchase of EVs in Ireland so far this year, with 21% of new cars licenced being electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles compared with 14% at this time last year. The government’s EV target is a critical solution to reducing our transport emissions and is a key part of the strategy which also includes measures to reduce car journeys, through improved public and active transport networks.
Speaking about Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, Minister Ryan said:
"We have to transform the way we get around our country so that we do not rely on expensive, carbon emitting and polluting fossil fuels. One of the ways we can help decarbonise our transport sector is by accelerating the uptake of electric vehicles, both passenger cars and the commercial fleet. This new Office will be at the heart of this transformation, charged with supporting consumers, the public sector and businesses to continue to make the switch to electric vehicles and to lead on the delivery of our ambitious target under the Climate Action Plan 2021 to have 945,000 electric vehicles in the Irish fleet by 2030.
"We are already seeing that there is an appetite for this switch with the increases in the purchase of electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles over the past year. I hope that the grants and initiatives we are launching today, along with Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, will make it easier for people and businesses to continue to make the switch and then to be able to charge their cars, no matter where they live."
Residential charging is the most cost effective and convenient way of charging electric vehicles and is expected to make up 80% of overall charging needs. The EV Apartment Charging grant is being launched today, for dwellings which do not have access to a driveway such as apartments, duplexes and mixed. Further information is available on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) website.
The EV Home Charger grant is also being expanded from today to allow any homeowner to apply for a grant to install a charger. This will enable homeowners to install a charger in advance of purchasing an electric vehicle, for visitor use or at rented accommodation. Further information is available on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) website.
From September 2022, the Home Charger scheme will only support Smart Chargers. This will improve safety, prevent excessive electrical demand and facilitate better integration with renewable energy sources. For manufacturers and installers wishing to register their products please go to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) website.
A new trial is being launched today to promote and encourage the electrification of the commercial fleet in Ireland. This trial will afford businesses the opportunity to test an EV free of charge for a minimum period of 3 months. Its purpose is to show, through real world evidence, the benefits, savings and the suitability and viability of EVs in a commercial setting. Apply and access more information.
The Shared Island Sports Club grant will provide funding to install a network of publicly accessible chargers in communities nationwide through their local sports clubs subject to certain eligibility criteria. This grant, with funding provided via the government's Shared Island Fund, will operate on an all-island basis and provide grant funding via National Sports Governing Bodies to eligible sports clubs and centres to help defray the cost of installing publicly accessible EV charge points.
The draft National EV Strategy underwent public and stakeholder consultation earlier this year, with over 14,000 responses to the online questionnaire along with detailed written submissions received from both individuals and organisations. Responses and submissions received as part of the consultation are currently being considered in the development of the final Strategy for publication later this year. The final Strategy will also an Implementation Plan that will set out a pathway for delivery of a high quality national EV charging Infrastructure.
The aim of the eSPSV grant is to enable owners of small public service vehicles, such as taxis, hackneys and limousines, to buy electric vehicles, championing the electric experience for passengers and drivers in Ireland. Approximately €15m was allocated in 2022 to support SPSVs to switch to electric. The scheme is kept under continuous review and was paused to new applicants in April to allow for the drawdown and payment of provisional grant offers which usually have a time limit of 3 months. The scheme will now reopen for applications on 1st August 2022 and is managed by the NTA.
Expansion of the current electric vans grant to include large panel vans will be announced later this year.
Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland was established 21 July 2022, as recommended by the Electric Vehicle Policy Pathway Working Group Report in September 2021 and following Action 274 of the Climate Action Plan 2021.
Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland will comprise 4 pillars in terms of its operations:
Each pillar will have a dedicated workstream with support from a central Programme Management Office. Oversight for Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland will be through a collaborative governance framework comprising representatives of Department of Transport, SEAI, NTA, TII and ESB Networks, through its:
As well as a number of initiatives announced today, Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland is working on further measures to support the uptake of EVs that will be announced later this year.