The Government has a cunning plan for electric vehicle (EV) chargers, has it? Can we expect a faster roll-out of public chargers? Will the electricity for EVs be cheaper? Or can folk juicing up at on-street charge points get free parking?
Um, no, none of those things. But under plans aimed at promoting sustainable travel, homeowners will be allowed to rent out the use of their EV chargers to other people. The Department of Transport says this will “offer cost-effective charging options for EV owners who don’t have private off-street parking”.
What? Can they not do that already?
They probably can, but what the new pilot scheme aims to do is set up an online platform to allow people without access to home chargers connect easily with those willing to rent out theirs. A frequently used phrase in recent days is it will be “like an Airbnb for car chargers”.
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That might be part of a solution, for sure. How much will it cost?
It is far too early to say, and ultimately the market will determine the cost.
But it will be cheaper than public charging points, will it?
You would imagine it would have to be, but it won’t all be about price. If homeowners rent out their charging points to others when they are not in use, it will take pressure off the wider network and make things easier for everyone.
There are about 2,500 public charging points in the State, and we need a whole lot more of them if widespread adoption of EVs is to happen.
Still, can you talk to me about the money?
An EV driver who charges their car at home can expect to pay anywhere from €7 to €30 for a full charge, depending on the size of the battery and the electricity tariff they are on.
Someone on a time-of-use tariff, who charges their car overnight, will pay the least, while someone who is on a standard rate or who charges their car during the day will pay more. Broadly speaking, an EV driver can expect to pay about €15 for a full charge.
How much does it cost to charge a car at a public station?
A lot more than that. There are multiple companies offering charging at multiple speeds – the faster the car is charged, the more you pay for it – but a good rule of thumb would suggest that charging an EV via the public infrastructure will cost about 75 per cent more than charging it on a decent tariff at home.
If you charge your car from empty to full at home once a week, the annual cost will come in at about €780. If you charge on the public network, you can expect to pay about €1,350 over the course of a year.
I see, so renting a private charger will make sense once the price is right?
It will indeed – although bear in mind that a person renting their charger to you will want to make a few bob, so you might end up paying 10 or 20 per cent more than they do for their charges, taking the annual cost with the new system to about a grand.
What about the time factor? How long does it take to charge an EV at home?
Longer than on the public network, that is for sure. Depending on the model of car and the charging point you have, it could take anywhere from four to 20 hours to go from empty to full, although about eight hours is more typical. Public points can charge a car to full in less than an hour if souped-up chargers, or about four hours if standard chargers.
Okay, what else?
There is also the cost of installing a car charger. That varies depending on what type of charger it is and where you locate it, but you can expect to pay anywhere between €1,200 and €1,600 for a home charging point. There is a Government grant of €300 available to soften the blow.
