ESB ecars introduce new pricing

Pricing for standard network charging points comes into effect from August 10, 2020

ESB ecars has announced that pricing for its standard (up to 22kW AC) network will come into effect on 10 August.

The announcement comes following the introduction of pricing for fast public chargers (50kW) in November 2019. At that time, it was indicated that pay for use would be extended to the entire network following further investment by ESB ecars and with that improved ‘uptimes’.

Since then, more than 150 standard chargers have been replaced in 26 counties throughout the country, taking the uptime to 96% – the time on the fast (>44kW) charging network is 99%.

The upgrades are part of a €20m investment in renewing and expanding Ireland’s electric vehicle (EV) public charging network by ESB ecars, supported by the Irish government’s Climate Action Fund.

The introduction of pricing will support ongoing upgrades to ensure that the network continues to operate at a high standard for an increasing number of EV owners.

The original pricing scheme has been maintained; there are two price plans available for the EV drivers – Pay as You Go or Membership:

• Pay As You Go is charged at 26.8c per kWh

• Membership is a €4.60 monthly subscription fee and a reduced charge of 23c per kWh.

More than 11,000 users have signed up for membership, which is recommended for those that use the network five times per month or more.

Drivers can sign up to ESB ecars via www.esb.ie/ecars.

Niall Hogan, head of ESB ecars, said: “We all know that climate action is a priority and that EVs play a key role in the move to clean, low carbon transport. That’s why ESB is committing €20m to upgrading and expanding the public charging network for EVs and why we’ve introduced pricing on a phased basis to support that investment in clean transport.

“Drivers are already seeing the benefits of this investment, and significant improvements in the reliability of the national network.

“We will continue to invest in a brighter future for drivers by supporting the change to cleaner transport using EVs.”

The electrification of transport is a key component of the ESB’s low carbon strategy.

The environmental benefits of the move to EVs is complemented by cost savings for consumers, and the ESB estimate savings of 35% on a 100km journey for ESB ecars members or those on the introductory offer as opposed to travelling in a 1.5l diesel car.

The €20m investment is 50% financed by the government’s Climate Action Fund with the remainder funded by ESB.