Electric cars can be charged on ESB’s nationwide network of publicly accessible charge points. They are located in various places all over Ireland such as on-street, motorway service stations, shopping centres and car parks.
ESB will introduce fees for people using its standard (up to 22kW AC) charging network from 10th August 2020.
There are currently two types of charging stations on the ESB ecars network:
- Standard AC (up to 22kW) and
- Fast ( up to 50kW) Chargers.
Standard chargers (up to 22kwH) could take anything from an hour to 7 hours to charge a car to 80% , depending on the type of car and battery size.
For example – a 2016 Nissan LEAF can only take 3.6kW speeds from these points – which equates to around 30km of driving per hour charging. However, some cars such as the Tesla Model S and the Renault Zoe can take the full 22kW, enough to cover 150km in most cases.
These type of chargers are typically found on streets or in car parks. These were free to use since they were set up – but from Aug 10th 2020 there will be a fee to use them.
Fast (or rapid) chargers (up to 50kwh) are generally found in motorway service stations. These charging points can charge a car up to 80% in approximately 30 minutes depending on car type and battery size.
These fast chargers already had fees since November 2019
ESB are going to be installing some High Power Charge Points with a power output up to 150kwh . The first site is due to go live in 2020.
EasyGo Car Charging Points
Easygo were Ireland’s first private EV Charging Company. Many of their charge points are located in shopping centre car parks.
As at June 2020 , EasyGo had 423 AC chargers and 8 DC Rapid Chargers
Many EasyGo charge Points are free to use currently – but we expect them to follow ESB and introduce fees at all sites in August.
If an Easygo charge Point is Pay to Use, the fees are currently (Mid July 2020) :
- 1. AC Chargers (up to 22Kwh) : 24c connection fee and a rate between 10c and 35c per kWh of use.
- 2. The fee for DC Chargers (Fast) is 24c connection and a rate of 35c per kWh of energy delivered.
- 3. There is also a 35c per minute overstay parking fee when you have been charging for more than 1 hour.
Ionity Charge Points
Ionity only have 14 fourteen charge points mainly on motorways (see here Ionity Locations )
The IONITY chargers are equipped to charge at speeds up to 350kW. But no current cars can cope with that speed (yet). A Nissan Leaf will usually accept charge at a maximum of 45kW and Hyundai’s latest models will take up to around 70kWh.
Ionity Pricing : Ionity charge 79c / kWh which is a lot more than the others.
However , if you sign up with one of their ” Mobility Service Providers” (MSP) you will pay a discounted rate. (Audi e-tron ; Mercedes.Me.Charge ;BMW ChargeNow ; Porsche Charging Service; Volkswagen W) .
Most of these seem to involve a monthly fee and a reduced rate . For example – with Audi, it’s €17.95 per month and then €0.33 per kWh.
ESB Public Car Charging Prices
Price Per Kwh
| Standard 22kwh | Fast 50kwh | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay As You Go | 26.8c | 30.5c |
| Members Rate Monthly fee €4.60 | 23c | 26.8c |
| Overstay Fee | N/A | €4.60 after 45 Mins |
Membership is a €4.60 monthly subscription fee .
ESB recommend paying the membership subscription if you use their chargers more than five times per month.
Cost to Charge Enough to Drive 100km in a Nissan Leaf 40kwh
| Pay As You Go | Membership | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Charger | €3.97 | €3.40 |
| Fast Charger | €4.51 | €3.97 |
How Much Does it Cost to Charge an Electric Car in Ireland
Home charging an electric car in Ireland will cost significantly less than using public charging points.
For example – someone with a day/night meter, charging a car at home overnight would pay about 12c per kwh
That would work out at about €1.77 for a 100km charge
On a normal meter – unit rates are about 19c per kwh. Therefore a charge to do 100km would cost about €2.81
- Charge times and price estimates based on Nissan Leaf 40Kwh