Research by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) has shown that the number of publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charge points in rural Irish counties is “notably low”.
Examining the number of EV charge points for each county in Ireland, the study found that the northern and western region had 488 available charge points in comparison to the 1,261 EV charge points in the eastern and midland region and 920 in the southern region.
The study stated that the lack of available EV charge points 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”.
The NWRA also collaborated with survey company Ireland-Thinks to conduct a study on opinions of EVs and their charging infrastructure from 559 residents in the northern and western regions. The survey stated that 79% were “very unlikely” to buy a new EV in the next 12 months. This figure reduced to 57% if more “fast” EV charge points were to be provided. The survey also showed that 31% felt that two charge points ought to be allocated to every village.
Economist with the NWRA, John Daley, has commented saying “a lack of publicly available EV charge points is one of the key factors discouraging people from the Northern and Western region in switching to EVs”.
Recent research by the payment software company Paythru has indicated that poor charge point experience also deters 80% of UK drivers. A further disincentive for those considering buying new EVs is the cost of charging which has risen significantly amidst the energy crisis.
Daley has suggested that policymakers “may consider enhancing EV grants as the high price of EVs was seen as the greatest barrier to purchasing an EV, while the provision of regionally targeted grants could improve the uptake of EVs in rural regions with low levels of disposable income”.
