The views expressed in the consultation will be carefully considered by the Department of Transport before finalising the strategy in the third quarter of this year.
As part of the Shared Island initiative and supported through the Shared Island Fund, the Government will work through all-island partnerships to explore and implement the provision of targeted EV charging infrastructure to benefit communities and increase access to EVs across the island of Ireland, with co-benefits across other sectors such as tourism and heritage.
While around 80% of charging is expected to take place at drivers’ homes, the draft strategy also addresses the provision of infrastructure for EV owners where this is not an option, such as those living in apartments or in homes that do not have a driveway.
As well as looking at residential neighbourhood charging, it also outlines the way forward for charging en route, for instance at motorway service stations, and at destinations such as tourist attractions, supermarkets, and parks.
The strategy will be reviewed in the run-up to 2025 and revised at that point to lay out a pathway to the end of the decade. The Climate Action plan has a target of 945,000 EVs on Ireland’s roads by 2030.