Electric Car Charging Infrastructure: Ireland Lags Behind Europe
New data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) highlights that Ireland’s public electric car charging network significantly trails behind the European average, with one charger available for every 30 electric cars, compared to one for every seven vehicles across Europe. This lag underscores the urgent need to bolster charging facilities as electric vehicle (EV) adoption surges.
Current Charging Network
As of the end of 2025, Ireland boasted 1,125 charging locations encompassing 3,416 individual points. Among these, 1,883 are fast chargers and there are 3,662 connectors essential for linking electric vehicles to the power source. Predominantly, 82% of these charging points are situated in urban areas, with Dublin and Cork alone accounting for 30% of national charging locations.
In stark contrast, rural areas host only 205 charging locations with 824 charging points. Fast chargers are notably sparse, with one fast charger for every 54 electric cars in Ireland, significantly behind the EU average of one fast charger for every 37 cars.
Surge in Electric Vehicle Registrations
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) reports a remarkable uptick in electric car registrations, with 29,814 new electric cars registered in the first half of this year. This marks a 60% increase from the same period last year and a notable 115% rise compared to 2024.
Volkswagen leads as the top-selling electric car brand, thanks to its popular ID.4 model, closely followed by Kia and Hyundai.
Home Charging Dominates
Despite the public charging network’s shortcomings, approximately 80% of Ireland’s electric car drivers primarily rely on home charging, according to the Government’s draft National EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy. However, the strategy warns of the challenges in meeting the power output targets of 712 megawatts by 2030.
European Regulatory Requirements
Upcoming EU regulations require publicly accessible EV charging pools for cars to be installed at least every 60km along the core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) by 2027. Each site must offer a minimum total capacity of 600kW, with at least two chargers delivering 150kW each. By 2035, these requirements will extend across the entire comprehensive TEN-T network.
Addressing this infrastructural gap is crucial as Ireland seeks to position itself as a leader in sustainable transport. As the nation transitions towards greener energy, enhancing the public charging network could accelerate the shift towards electric mobility, aligning with European standards and environmental goals.
Adapted from: irishexaminer.com
