ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) recharging infrastructure must be installed in new homes to allow for future installation of recharging points under new building regulations announced by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien.

The regulations will apply to:

• New dwelling houses with a parking space located within the boundary of the dwelling
• New multi-unit residential buildings 
• Multi-unit residential buildings undergoing major renovation where the car park is located inside or adjacent to the building, and where renovations include the car park or the electrical infrastructure of the building or car park

There are currently over 45,000 EVs registered on Irish roads.

Under the Climate Action Plan, the Government says it commits to increasing the fleet of EVs and low emitting vehicles to 945,000 in order to meet the required level of emissions reduction by 2030. 

“The regulations will help accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles, creating and enabling infrastructure to achieve the Government commitment of nearly one million electric vehicles by 2030,” Minister O’Brien said.

“We are sending a strong signal of Ireland’s commitment to the clean energy transition, as the building sector has a vast potential to contribute to a carbon-neutral and competitive economy,” he said. 

Public charging points

It was reported in July that just 33 public electric vehicle charge points had been approved under a scheme announced three years ago that was intended to develop up to 200 charge points per annum. 

There are a number of grants available to help people buy electric vehicles and set up charging stations at home. 

But one scheme for public charging points on streets or in car parks has had little take-up among local authorities, figures in July showed. 

Under the scheme, local authorities receive a grant to cover three-quarters of the cost – up to €5,000 – per charge point put in place.

As of July, only three local authorities had signed up to the on-street public charge point scheme, with Louth County Council getting the all-clear for the highest number of charge points (20) of any council in the scheme.

Dublin City Council with nine charge points and Tipperary County Council with four were the other two counties that made applications under the scheme.  

With reporting by Orla Dwyer