Today is World EV Day, and as a business dedicated to bringing choice and sustainability to the Irish car market, it’s a good time to reflect on the progress being made in Ireland towards decarbonised transport.
Ireland isn’t alone in having seen relatively slow adoption of electric vehicles. Range anxiety, patchy infrastructure and concerns around price have also served to dampen demand for EVs. These are problems common to all emergent technologies, but it feels like, here in Ireland at least, a tipping point has been reached and the EV market is beginning to take off.
In fact, the latest data from SIMI shows that EV sales in August across Ireland were up 69% on the same time last year. This compares to growth of just 1% in overall new car sales over the same period. So, the theme here is clear, Ireland is going electric!
So, what’s changed?
Out on the range
My sales job takes me across the country on a regular basis as I travel to meet with Close Brothers’ national dealer network. I’ve been using an EV for several years now and so know that my car can be relied upon as I crisscross the country.
In the market at large, however, misconceptions and range anxiety persist.
Things have changed quickly. The average range of an EV has grown 140% over the past decade and many 2025 models can exceed 480km on a single charge with premium models capable of going even further (Ireland is 486km from its northernmost to southernmost points, in case you’re wondering).
So, a single charge goes a long way. This is helping alleviate range anxiety and driving the growth that we’re seeing in this market.
On grid
Again, I’ve been using an EV for several years now and have never had an issue finding somewhere to charge my vehicle but, it remains the case that some people are put off by a potential lack of charging infrastructure here.
As with increasing ranges, things are moving quickly here. In fact, according to the Irish EV Association, there are now nearly 6000 charge points across the country and the numbers continue to grow to meet growing demand.
This is being driven by major charge point operators like EasyGo and Ionity, but also by the Government via ESB. The Irish Government’s EV roadmap allocated around €100 million for public charging infrastructure, and this is making a real impact and giving the country some of the best EV infrastructure there is.
According to the ESB network, nowhere in Ireland is more than 35km from one of their chargers and in my experience, they’re right.
Cost Control
Another concern I regularly encounter around EVs is cost. Maybe people’s minds jump straight to the cost of a brand-new Tesla or similar when they think about cost. The reality is however that not only are EVs ever more affordable, but they also come with some financial advantages that fossil fuel powered vehicles don’t.
First up, the cost of charging a vehicle (roughly 18 cent per KW) is significantly cheaper than the cost of fuel. I can charge my vehicle fully for around €14. If I spent the same amount of money on fuel, I’d be lucky to travel 100 km. It’s easy to only think about the up-front cost of an EV without considering the significant savings that can be made over the lifetime of the vehicle.
Performance
One final objection I encounter when talking about EVs is around performance. Speaking for myself, however, I’m a lover of tech and for me the tech and the performance that comes with modern EVs is second to none. I’ve made the EV switch and wouldn’t go back. The latest figures from SIMI would suggest Ireland might be about to do the same, and at Close Brothers, we’re committed to making EVs more accessible for Irish drivers.
Learn more about World EV Day
