4.2.7 Case Study 7: En-Route High-Power Charging & Charging Pools in

4.2.7 Case Study 7: En-Route High-Power Charging & Charging Pools in Ireland

Ionity & Circle K 350 chargers

Motorway/en-route charging (ultra-rapid charging) is one of the four key categories of charging infrastructure that has been called for in this strategy. As battery range continues to increase, so does the capacity of vehicles to charge faster. In order to enable long distance journeys without the need for excessive delays, ultra-fast chargers are required on our motorway network. While few electric cars can currently avail of the full charging capacity provided by a 150 kW or 350 kW charger, car technology is moving in this direction. This means that a 15-minute stop could deliver 200-400 km additional range.

From 2019-2021, charge-point operator, Ionity, joined forces with the forecourt and convenience retailer, Circle K, to install ultra-fast charge points at six strategically-located Circle K sites across the country.

The sites include Gorey on the M11, Athlone on the M6, Kill North and Kill South on the N7, Cashel on the M8, and City North on the M1. Each charging point is equipped with an average of four 350 kW chargers which use the leading European- standard Combined Charging System (CCS). These installations were partly funded by European funds through the Connecting Europe Facility74.

ESB Ecars & Climate Action Fund: High- Power Charge Pools

Figure from page 44

Infrastructure supported by the Government’s Climate Action Fund is being rolled out by ESB ecars. In July 2021, the first eight-bay high-power charging hub73 (including a mix of 150 kW and 50 kW charge points) was installed at Junction 14 on the M7 Motorway. ESB ecars plans to roll out over 50 charging hubs throughout Ireland. These will charge 3-8 vehicles simultaneously.

Figure from page 44

Photo: https://fleet.ie/investment-improvements-toirelands-ev-charging-network/

Photo: https://www.circlek.ie/sustainability/ research2021

73 Charging forward in the EV market (esb.ie)

74 https://europ-e.eu/assets/20190425_europ-e_press_release.pdf

CHAPTER

5

Delivering Infrastructure

This chapter sets out the landscape of public EV charging infrastructure in the medium term. It explores the standards that will apply, as well as the existing and planned Government supports and funding instruments. These supports will target and address identified gaps in the EV infrastructure market. The chapter also sets out the objective for delivery of charge point infrastructure by 2025. This will support increasing EV uptake and ensure that charging infrastructure provision stays ahead of demand.

need for top-up charging where required.