Fast-charging electric vehicle hub opens on M7 in Co Kildare

The ESB has unveiled its first eight-bay, high-power electric vehicle (EV) charging hub; the first of 50 similar facilities to be rolled out across the country.

Located beside Junction 14 on the M7 motorway at Mayfield service station near Monasterevin, Co Kildare, the hub is capable of providing 100km of charge within six minutes. It is part of a €20 million programme financed by the Government's climate action fund and the ESB.

Six high-power hubs allowing three EVs to charge at one time are in place elsewhere, while the ESB has replaced more than 590 charge points and upgraded 31 chargers to faster speeds.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Transport, Eamon Ryan said the availability of high-power charging infrastructure on key national routes was critical for EV drivers needing to travel longer distances.

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“The new hub, launched by ESB today, and the others that will follow, will encourage more drivers to go electric, cut their fuel costs and reduce our carbon emissions,” he added.

Sales

A total of 1,400 charging points would be provided in coming years so EV drivers would never have more than 30km to travel to recharge their vehicles.

The target of having almost 1 million EVs on Irish roads by 2030 was realisable, he believed, as already 13 per cent of new cars were electric, and within two to three years EVs would be cheaper than internal combustion engine vehicles. "It's happening faster than anticipated," he noted. Sales of pure battery-powered EVs outsold hybrids in Ireland for the first time this year.

ESB director of customer solutions Marguerite Sayers said the high-power hub was “a significant milestone as we work to meet the growing number of EVs on Ireland’s roads” and would significantly reduce charging time.

“When you couple this with at-home charging, it really signifies a positive next step for current and future EV drivers in Ireland,” she added.