Rural areas lack charging points

Problem may hit our climate change targets

The lack of adequate electric vehicle (EV) charge point infrastructure in rural Ireland raises serious doubts about the government’s ability to deliver on the Climate Action Plan’s commitment to have almost one million EVs on Irish roads by 2030.

Research published by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA), one of Ireland's three regional assemblies, has examined the number of publicly available EV charge points for each county on the island of Ireland.

The NWRA has also, in collaboration with the survey company Ireland Thinks, undertaken a survey of residents based in rural and urban areas of the Northern and Western region for their opinions on EVs and EV charge point infrastructure.

The analysis outlines to policymakers what is needed to encourage a greater uptake of EVs and reduce dependence on fossil fuel-powered vehicles in rural regions.

The Climate Action Plan sets targets that require a transformation in how we travel and connect our communities.

EVs can help meet these targets as improvements in battery technology and market offerings have made EVs a viable low-carbon alternative for rural residents who typically lack access to public transport.

According to the report, the Northern and Western region (Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Leitrim, Roscommon, Monaghan and Cavan) has 488 publicly available EV charge points. Northern Ireland has 529, the Southern region has 920 and the Eastern and Midland region has 1,261.

The counties with the highest number of publicly available EV charge points were Dublin (639), Antrim (240), Cork (239), Kildare (174) and Galway (172), with the lowest number located in Leitrim (8), Longford (19), Monaghan (24), Offaly (27) and Fermanagh (29).

In addition to it being the most rural-oriented region under Project Ireland 2040, the Northern and Western Region registered the lowest concentration of publicly available EV charge points per km2 on the island of Ireland.

The survey of 559 residents of the Northern and Western region found that 79% were “very unlikely” to buy a new EV within the next 12 months, with only 3% “very likely” to buy a new EV in the same period.

If the government were to increase the maximum grant rate for EV purchases from €5,000 to €10,000, the percentage of respondents that were “very likely” to purchase an EV within the next 12 months rises from 3% to 12%, while those that were “very unlikely” to purchase an EV within a year falls from 79% to 49%.

If more “Fast” EV charge points were provided, the percentage of respondents “very unlikely” to buy a new EV in the next 12 months drops from 79% to 57%, while those that were “very likely” to purchase an EV within the next 12 months rises from 3% to 11%.

31% felt that every village and town should have at least two EV charge points to encourage a greater uptake of EVs and to reduce “range anxiety”, with 20% of respondents feeling that at least two EV charge points was needed for every 5kms, while 18% of respondents felt that at least one EV charge point was needed in every petrol station.

The NWRA recommendations include enhancing provisions under the Climate Action Fund so more EV charge points can be installed in the Northern and Western Region, particularly Fast and High-powered EV charge points.