Best EV Charger in Ireland: How To Charge Your EV
As governments are being cornered into taking immediate action to fight global warming, the push for electric vehicles is becoming prominent. Below, we look at all the details surrounding electric vehicle chargers in Ireland. From the different types available on the market to the how and where to charge your vehicle.
What Are the Types of Electric Vehicles in Ireland?
Before we can examine the types of EV chargers there are on the Irish market, we first need to understand the types of electricity-powered vehicles that are currently available.
There are essentially three types of private vehicles found on Irish roads today, these are:
- Fossil-fuel-powered vehicles (diesel or petrol)
- Hybrid-powered cars (part electricity and part fossil fuel)
- Electric-powered vehicles
As fossil-fuel-powered vehicles do not require any charging station (other than your everyday petrol station) we will therefore focus our article on the latter two types of electric vehicles.
What Are the Types of EV Chargers in Ireland?
There exist four main types of EV charger connections in Ireland, they are known as:
We look at each type in further detail below.
Hybrid Vehicle Connector Some hybrid vehicles, known as PHP (Plug-in Hybrid), have a charge port as well as a regular fuel tank filler. Be sure to know the type of connector your hybrid vehicle has to know where you can charge your battery should you wish to do so.
What Is the DC Chademo EV Charger?
These are often found at charging stations along motorways across Ireland as they are a fast-charging battery system. It can charge an EV battery up to 80% capacity in under an hour!
As DC (Direct Current) powers directly the battery, you will rarely find this type of connector for home EV chargers.
The term Chademo is simply the brand name of the DC charger manufacturer.
What Is the Type 2 / AC 43?
This type of EV charger uses AC (Alternating Current) power to charge your car's battery. This is the type of charger you will find in most homes, workplaces, and other public spaces. It is also one commonly found on European car models like Volkswagen, Volvo, BMW, etc.
AC chargers take longer to charge a vehicle’s battery than DC. Depending on your vehicle, it could take from four to five hours to fully charge, other models can take as long as 12 hours.
Did you know? We use AC as it is an easier and cheaper way to transform electricity to different voltage levels compared to DC. As a home has a multitude of electrical appliances, each requiring different voltage levels, AC is what is commonly used in homes.
What Is the Type 1 Connector?
This type of connector is commonly found on Asian car models such as Mitsubishi and Nissan. It is important to note that electric vehicle charging stations in Ireland DO NOT support this type of connection.
If you plan to make long road trips, you will need to carry your own charging cable and connect to an untethered charger at charging stations. More on tethered and untethered cables later.
Alternatively, when away from the house, much like when you travel abroad, there are now adaptors on the market you could use. This would allow you to safely charge your vehicle from a type 2 tethered cable from a charging station. It would take a lot less space than carrying an entire cable in your car.
Multi-plug Home EV Chargers Apart from adaptors, newer EV car charger models are often compatible with both type 1 and 2 connectors, giving you the freedom to select any car model you prefer.
What Is The Difference Between a Type 1 & Type 2 EV Charger Connector?
The main difference between the two is that type 1 connectors have five pins whereas type 2 has seven pins. Some type 2 EV chargers will charge at higher voltage, but it is rather uncommon in Ireland.
Typically type 1 connectors are found on older electric vehicle models, before 2018 to be precise. Type 2 EV charger connectors are essentially found on every other car model on the market.
Caution! Do not try to use or tamper with an older EV charger to make it work with the newer car models.
What Is a CSS Combo?
Combined Charging System (CSS) is another type of fast-charging method growing in popularity. It has varied power ratings whereas the DC Chademo just has one. Consequently, experts believe this will eventually become the more common type of charger found along roadsides.
How Much Is a Home EV Charger?
As mentioned above, the most common type of home EV charger will be a type 1 or 2.
When you include its installation, you can expect a home EV charger to cost in the vicinity of €1,000.
Luckily, various entities are pushing for the use of renewable energy and lowering carbon emissions. As such, you can find some great deals on home EV chargers, specifically:
- SEAI Government Grant
The 2022 budget introduced a €600 SEAI grant for home EV chargers. This would reduce your out-of-pocket expense to a mere €400. If this wasn’t enough a push from the government to help the environment, you can obtain funding towards the purchase of a new electric vehicle as well through other government schemes. - Energia’s EV Energy Plan.
This 100% renewable energy provider is offering a free home EV charger with installation included when you sign-up for their Electric Car Energy Plan. A great offer, the only caveat is that it only applies when purchasing a new vehicle from one of their partner car dealerships of Kia, Opel, Citroen, Honda, or Fiat.
How and Where Can I Charge My Electric Vehicle?
The first and most common way to charge your EV vehicle is at home. There are a few things you will want to consider when charging at home, namely:
- Be sure you have an EV charger adapted to your vehicle.
- Have the car charger installed by a professional.
- Switch your home energy plan for one which is specific to electric vehicles. These often include incredibly low nighttime rates for you to charge your car with peace of mind, you won’t break the bank!
The other way to charge your battery is at e-car charging points. We look in more detail at this option below.
Where Can I Charge an EV on Long-Distance Trips?
Once again, as part of the government's goal in its Climate Action Plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, electric vehicle charging stations have been installed across the country. Fast-charging stations are handy and have been placed along national roads and motorways.
Keep in mind that, ESB charging stations only have the following three types of connectors available:
- DC Chademo
- CSS Combo
- Type 2 / AC 43
Should your car have a type 1 connector, you will either have to bring an adaptor from type 2 to type 1. These can cost between €100-200 and are available at most EV dealerships.
Alternatively, you can bring your own EV charging cable and use an untethered charging station.
You can use the handy ESB Charge Point Map to find the nearest e-car charging points or download the ‘ecar connect app’ on the Google Play store or App store.
Don't get caught out! To ensure the availability of EV charging points, ESB introduced an ‘Overstay fee’ for anyone who leaves their vehicle charging for longer than 45 minutes. The penalty is €8 for anyone overstaying their welcome.
What Is the Difference Between a Tethered and an Untethered Charging Station?
The difference between the two options found at Irish electric vehicle charging stations is that one comes with a charging cable (tethered) and the other has none (untethered).
The price between the two is the same, using your personal charging cable (untethered) however only gives you access to the standard charging station rates.
Using a tethered cable will give you access to both fast and high-power charging. Ideal for long-distance trips as it reduces your wait times.
Are There Other Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In Ireland?
Aside from roadside charging stations, you will find multiple e-car charging points in public parking spaces, stores, hotels, and even petrol stations.
Apart from ESB, other privately-owned entities are starting to make charging stations available, namely:
- EasyGo
Second-largest provider of electric vehicle charging stations in Ireland. You do need to become a member to use these stations, however. - Circle K
Growing in popularity across Europe and not just in Ireland. Their charging station locator is very useful. - Tesla
The car manufacturer has its own set of fast-charging stations. - Ionity
This company provides solely CSS combo connectors in their charging stations.
If you don’t want to look up the various websites or charging stations map, the following apps try to encompass all electric vehicle charging stations in the country.
- Irish Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Apps
- Zap map
- Plugshare
- Opencharge map
Getting the Right Energy Plan for Your Electric Vehicle
Once you have your electric vehicle chosen and your home EV charger installed, you will want to change electricity and gas plans to one specific for homes with electric vehicles. Many Irish providers offer special electricity rates at night time to allow you to charge your vehicle at a fraction of the usual energy cost.
Take the time to shop around and compare electricity plans, or just give our energy experts a call for the latest offers or for energy-saving tips.
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