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ZEVI TII EV National Road Grant Scheme – Phase 2

Exiled Rebel

New scheme launched yesterday aimed at the national road network. Surprised to not see any discussion on boards…

Great to see routes both to and in the north west feature so prominently.

There'll be 34 charging points along the routes shown above. a minimum of 300kw must be provided at each location which will not be more than 60km apart.

Towards the south of the island routes from rosslare to tralee and from cork to limerick have been selected. note the towns of wexford, cork, tralee, limerick, sligo, mullingar and letterkenny have been excluded meaning only locations outside these urban areas are eligible.

successful bidders will be announced in april with the locations up and running by the end of 2025.

more info here »»»»» EV Recharging Infrastructure LDV National Road Grant Scheme (tii.ie)

P.S. more national road grant schemes will follow (presumably covering routes in north munster and across parts of the midlands amongst other places).

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the_amazing_raisin

Excellent news, this should hopefully go a long way to plugging some of the gaps that still exist in the network

I'm guessing they'll try to target the major crossroads so as to serve multiple routes with a single hub

I'm a bit worried about the 300kW minimum, it could encourage single unit installations which can never really be depended on

75% of €300k doesn't seem like it'll buy a lot of chargers either. You'd ideally want 2-3 HPCs serving two spaces each. Enough that the sites are dependable, and frequent enough that if you run into a big queue you can just carry on to the next hub

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122738159#Comment_122738159

fear not, a minimum of two chargers must be installed e.g. two 150kW or a different combination to make up 300kW (max of 4 chargers).

Applicants must demonstrate that their proposed EVCI Recharging Pool will provide a power output of at least 300kW of DC High-Powered Chargers

• Applicants must show that they will have a minimum of two (2) and maximum of four (4) Recharging Points capable of operating simultaneously

i'm not sure 300k is too much of an issue tbh but we'll have to wait and see what is delivered to know for sure.

Red Silurian

Why is there an upper limit of 4? That's just silly and opens the path to 3-car ESB "hubs" which would be a mistake

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122739151#Comment_122739151

Not sure, I haven't had the chance to go through the whole document.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122738509#Comment_122738509

Ah that's good at least, should prevent finding a charger being a lottery

I've no doubt that there won't be an application below €300k, someone's cousin who owns a construction company will be doing well 😏

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122739151#Comment_122739151

I assume to avoid the requirements for planning permission and consequently driving costs over the €300k mark

It also ensures each charging point will supply a minimum of 75kW. Otherwise you could install 100 3kW AC chargers and still be eligible

I agree it's a bit outdated, they could have just said minimum of 2 individual chargers and each charging point must be capable of supplying a minimum of 75kW

Then you could install as many chargers as you could afford

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122741290#Comment_122741290

I think our planning laws need to be updated somewhat also to allow for bigger installations

Also having an upper limit of 4 excludes Ionity who have a 6-minimum policy and any company who wants to install a European style hub with 20+ stalls

liamog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122741895#Comment_122741895

Our planning laws allow larger installations, they just don't allow it under the terms of exempted development. A company planning to deploy 20+ stalls is more than likely going to be making other changes to the site such as changing the layout of the car park which also requires planning permission.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122744075#Comment_122744075

True, however there's probably an opportunity for the planning exemption to be more nuanced

For example you could allow up to 8 chargers if there's a certain number of spaces available to begin with and if the substation works are within certain boundaries

I could understand why the council might be concerned about the local chipper putting 8 chargers and a massive substation out the front (although personally I'd applaud them)

The same logic doesn't really make sense for a supermarket or shopping centre with 100 parking spaces

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122744075#Comment_122744075

At the very least there should be an exemption for any current forecourts, especially ones that wish to change their petrol/diesel pumps to DC chargers. With the upcoming ICE ban and transition away from fossil fuels the planning authorities will be inundated with applications in a few years if we don't plan early

There should definitely be an exemption for petrol stations wishing to swap out their pumps for DC chargers on a 1:1 exchange

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745735#Comment_122745735

A chipper with 8 parking spaces should be allowed to do this without through the planning process. If people find it "unsightly" custom at the chipper will be reduced naturally

liamog

I'm not sure removing the planning process would make much difference at all to a 1:1 petrol station upgrade. The application will be up an updated drawing and likely rubber stamped by a planning department. The planning process is the one time we get to involve a democratic process in how our local environment is built. It's when we get to have a say in suitable lighting for the site, spacing, accessibility etc… For every time a person complains about the layout of eCars charger on boards.ie or Facebook they'd have been better off submitting an observation to a planning process.

The cost of preparing site drawings and the planning application is paltry compared to the amount the station owner is spending on equipment, I don't think there's enough fuel stations in the country that even if every single one of them submitted a planning application in the same week that it would be enough to overload a single local authority planning department. Looking at my own local authority this week's planning list puts us at planning application 820 for the year.

I don't know if the current 4 physical units exemption is enough, but I'm not sure a blanket exemption is the right idea either.

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122748004#Comment_122748004

Plonking EV chargers into the same location as petrol pumps is not as straightforward as it seems. There is a significant risk of explosion coming from the fuel tanks buried underneath the forecourt.

Extensive works would need to be undertaken to remove the tanks followed by ground remediation work before chargers could be installed. A very expensive and time consuming process.

Exiled Rebel

winning bidders announced. quite the list.

all sites to be open by 31st December.

ldv2-summary-of-successful-applicants.pdf

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123514172#Comment_123514172

In relation to the Wexford ones I've mentioned both Larkins Cross and Maldron Hotel (now Nepark Hotel) as two excellent sites for charging hubs.

The Newpark is just off the main Rosslare to Dublin route and was taken over by Neville Group a few months ago. Food is very good.

Larkins Cross is Wexford to Waterford route and has a big petrol station with Spuermacs on site.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123514202#Comment_123514202

Fairly sure I passed the Maldron on my drive from Roslare to Limerick via Waterford last December and we stopped at a supermacs not long after. Fine setup if they're both getting chargers

Applegreen Lemybrien being mentioned despite already having chargers, more nonsense stuff from Applegreen?

Noticed the N20 at Charleville and Mallow are getting a good spread, possibly a sign the motorway will be delayed again

zg3409

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien today announced the sites of 53 new high-power recharging hubs to service the expanding electric vehicle (#EV) fleet across Ireland’s national road network.

Grants of almost €8 million will be allocated for recharging infrastructure at the selected sites, with chargers set to be in place by the end of this year.

These new sites will deliver 175 new fast and ultra-fast recharging points, at 53 locations along the national road network, making it quicker and easier for EV drivers to top up on longer journeys.

The announcement is part of a wider plan to build a reliable recharging network across the country, with the distance between recharging hubs to be 60km or less.

Minister O’Brien said: “We’re taking real, practical steps to make electric vehicles work for everyone. With more chargers, more choice, and more support, we hope even more people will feel confident making the switch to electric. These high-powered chargers are a key step in that process. We’re committed to building a sustainable and cleaner transport system, and that means making it easy to charge wherever you are.”

The recharging hubs are funded through the Light Duty Vehicle (LDV) initiative operated by Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), and delivered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). This phase of the initiative focused on over 1,200km of national single carriageway roads.

Enterprises such as petrol/service station operators, car park owners, hotels, supermarkets/retail outlets, and others with publicly accessible sites, could apply through a competitive grant process for funding. The total grant allocations for this aspect is €7.9 million.

Peter Walsh, CEO of TII, said: “Working in partnership with ZEVI and the private sector, this scheme is helping us build the kind of infrastructure people can rely on: fast, efficient and accessible.”

The 53 recharging hubs will significantly improve coverage onf the relevant roads. .

Efforts will continue to seek to address any sections of the 1,200km network requiring additional support, where it was not possible to make sufficient awards under this phase of the grant scheme programme.

The announcement marks another major milestone under Ireland’s National EV Charging Network Plan, which aims to make EV recharging accessible across all parts of the country, from motorways to rural roads, and from cities to small towns.

🔗 Find out more here: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/press-releases/53-new-ev-recharging-hubs-coming-to-roads-across-ireland/

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123514363#Comment_123514363

I wouldn't be so quick to assume the N20 grants have anything to do with the M20 decision. These chargers will be up and running 6 or so years before the motorway opens. Supposedly it's due to go to ABP towards the end of the year.

In addition to the two Wexford sites there's also a SuperValu at Rosslare which received an award.

Applegreen will probably drop a second charger into Lemybrien.

Assuming all these sites get the requisite power then the spread of EV charging along national routes will be greatly improved come the turn of the year.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123515907#Comment_123515907

These chargers will be up and running 600 or so years before the motorway opens.

Fixed it for you

Yes on a serious note the extra chargers will be most welcome. Until about a year ago there were no DC chargers on the N20 until you reached Limerick or Cork

Next they will need to work on the price of the charging. Most of the EU is 30-40c/kWh

shanec1928

intrigued to see where they will put the charger for SuperValu in Ballisodare, as it’s a crap layout for parking with the few outdoor spaces always rammed and the rest underground as such with houses and apartments built on top of the car park.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516489#Comment_123516489

Not familiar with the area but there's is there anything to stop them going into the underground car park?

veryangryman

Divil a mention of how much if any chademo is coming with these. So I may just assume none and party if there is one

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516451#Comment_123516451

Unlikely pricing will see any significant downward adjustment. A lot of EU countries have much cheaper domestic electricity prices than Ireland. Unless that changes, public EV charging will stay expensive here. It’s the primary reason why people shouldn’t buy an EV unless you can charge at home on night rate.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123518221#Comment_123518221

Cirkle K branded sites have chademo compatability. They were still installing Chademo as of a few days ago and I doubt that will come to a change anytime soon

Here's a recently opened site with chademo

https://www.plugshare.com/location/597830

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123519465#Comment_123519465

It's all about the price differential between petrol/diesel and electrons and even some day and smart-peak rates are competitive in this sense

A rough guide used by many is 3:1 ie 3kWh of electricity gets you the distance equivalent of 1L of fuel

It means my night rate of 12.5c is 37.5c equivalent of ICE fuel, even the going 24 hour rate now is about 25c/kWh or 75c/L. I think the cheapest DC charging available is maxol at 45c/kWh which is a decent €1.35/L equivalent but you can pay as much as 70c on the Cirkle K ones… €2.10/L 😮

So if we don't drop EV charge prices we need to increase Petrol/Diesel prices

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123518221#Comment_123518221

anyone who purchased a leaf in recent years should have been aware at the time that chademo was goosed - even nissan has moved away from it. these - for profit - CPO's will do what's best for the balance sheet. that's the cold hard reality.

it's only a matter of time the likes of circlek, ecars etc. start swapping the chademo pistols for CCS.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123520022#Comment_123520022

In the case of all the CK units there are 2 "chargers" in the one box with the only difference being the addition of a chademo cable connected to one of the chargers. This means one charger in the box is CCS and the other is either CCS or Chademo. If you look at the newlands cross charger you will see that

Similarly, some easygo and ecars chargers have one charger with 2 cables, a CCS and a Chademo, attached, but only one car can be charged at a time. Examples are the DC stations in most Lidl car parks

So removing the chademo cable from these units serves no real purpose unless they have become faulty etc

There are a small amount of units that can charge 2 cars at a time and have one of each cable type. These ones I can see getting the Chademo changed for a CCS to enable 2 CCS cars to charge at the same time. Examples such as the dual unit at the Galway Plaza