How To Charge Your Electric Vehicle

By Cormac Breen

Content Manager

Electric vehicles can be charged either at home or at public charging stations. To charge an electric vehicle, a EV charger is required, and the type can vary depending on the model of EV and how quickly you need to charge it. Charging your EV at home is cheaper than using public charging stations but requires an EV charging port to be installed on your property. There are SEAI grants available for the installation of charging ports.

Where Can I Charge My Electric Vehicle?

There are a variety of locations where you can charge your EV, including:

1. At home
2. Public charging stations
3. *At your place of work

*More and more employers are now offering EV charging facilities, so it is worth checking to see if your employer has an EV charging port installed before purchasing your own EV.

Charging Your Electric Vehicle at Home

Charging your EV at home will be a priority for most EV owners, as it is the most convenient and economical way to charge it. Before installing a home charger, there are some important factors to take into account, including:

• Installation cost.
• Type of charger.
• Cost of charger.
• Where on your property it will be installed.
• Your electricity price per kWh.

What Type of EV Chargers Are There?

There are three types of EV chargers available. Depending on how quickly and cost-effectively you want to charge your car, you can choose from the following options:

Most homeowners will opt to install a slow charger at home, as the majority of charging will take place overnight. It will take about 8 hours on average to fully charge an electric vehicle using this.

Portable Charging Cables

An alternative to having a wall mounted EV charger installed is to purchase a portable charging cable. These cables allow you to directly connect your EV to a wall socket in your home.

While this is the most cost-effective means of charging your EV, it is much slower than wall mounted EV chargers and could fail to fully charge a battery overnight.

Purchasing a charging cable could be a good option while you wait to have your wall-mounted charger installed, but otherwise should be kept only for emergencies when problems with your wall-mounted charger arise.

How Much Does an EV Charger Cost?

A home EV charger can cost in the range of €1,000 to €2,000 when you factor in the following:

1. Type of EV charger.
2. Installation fees.
3. Additional electrical work that may be required.

There are several specialist companies who offer EV charger installation services in addition to local, independent electricians, and it is a good idea to shop around for quotes before deciding on a company for the installation.

We recommend searching for an RECI registered electrical contractor to enure that the work is carried out to a high standard.

Are There Grants Available for EV Chargers?

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI are offering grants towards the installation of home EV chargers up to the value of €300 as part of The Electric Vehicle Home Charger Grant scheme.

The grant is available to people who already own or are thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle, meaning you can factor the grant into your cost estimates if you are thinking about investing in an EV.

To avail of the grant, you must have your EV charger installed by a Safe Electric Registered Electrical Contractor.

Further details along with an application portal can be found on the SEAI website.

How Much Does It Cost To Charge an Electric Vehicle?

Much like the cost of purchasing and installing an EV charger, the cost of charging an electric vehicle will depend on several factors such as:

1. The make and model of your EV.
2. The size of your battery.
3. The unit cost per kWh
4. How often you need to charge it.

The biggest factor that will influence the cost of charging your EV will be the unit rate you pay for electricity. If you have a standard, 24hr tariff, you will pay more to charge your EV compared to those who have EV night rate or smart tariffs and can avail of cheaper night rates.

When estimating costs we can use the average kWh consumption for a 100km journey which is 52kWh. (This based on a VW ID 4 and is the same figure used by the SEAI in their estimates.)

Last Updated: August 2024

As you can see from the table above, the cost of running an EV while using a nighttime, EV charging rate is considerably less than that of a standard petrol car.

Are There EV Charging Tariffs?

Most energy suppliers in Ireland now offer EV charging rates as part of their night rate tariffs, meaning you can charge your EV for much less than the standard unit price.

Last Updated: August 2024

Are There Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations?

As part of the government's goal in its Climate Action Plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, along with the increase in the use of renewable energy, electric vehicle charging stations have been installed across the country. Fast-charging stations are convenient and have been placed along national roads and motorways.

Public charging stations are nearly 60% more expensive than home charging, but they are often much faster.

The vast majority of these charging stations are owned and operated by the ESB, who operate a two system payment method:

1. Pay-as-you-go
2. Subscription

The table below breaks down the price for each type of payment:

Last Updated: August 2024

You can use the handy ESB Charge Point Map to find the nearest e-car charging points

Apart from ESB, other privately-owned entities are starting to make charging stations available, such as:

1. EasyGo
   Second-largest provider of electric vehicle charging stations in Ireland. You do need to become a member to use these stations, however.
2. Circle K
   Growing in popularity across Europe and not just in Ireland. Their charging station locator is very useful.
3. Tesla
   The car manufacturer has its own set of fast-charging stations.
4. 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, apps such as Zap Map and Plugshare try to encompass all electric vehicle charging stations in the country.

Is It Better To Charge Your EV at Home or Public?

Overall, we can say that it makes more sense, both economically and for convenience, to charge your EV at home. While the upfront costs may be high, the long-term savings more than make up for it without mentioning the obvious positive impact on the environment EV vehicles have.