The second phase of Cork City Council's plan aims to have 200 normal charging and 39 fast charging pools up and running by 2030, providing between 550 and 700 individual charging points.

An ambitious €22m strategy to install almost 700 publicly available electric vehicle (EV) chargers at new charging stations across Cork City by 2030 has been adopted.

City councillors agreed the plan at the last city council meeting of the current council term on Tuesday.

In a report, councillors were told that seven submissions were made on the draft strategy during the public consultation phase — just two from the general public and five from stakeholder bodies, including Cork Chamber, the council’s fire and building control department, the Department of Agriculture, the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Further consultation was had with both Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland and ESB Networks.

The adopted strategy has identified 244 neighbourhood charging stations and 65 community charging stations, each with capacity to charge several cars simultaneously, to be delivered by 2030, with the first tranche of 44 neighbourhood and 26 community charging stations to be delivered by 2025, requiring an investment of between €4m to €5.5m.

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The second phase, which will require an investment of another €11.5m to €17m, aims to have 200 normal charging and 39 fast charging pools up and running by 2030, providing between 550 and 700 individual charging points. It will involve a mix of public and private funding, with the charging units set to be privately-run on a tender-basis, but with a universal payment system.

The strategy has identified potential EV charging station locations across the city, with most to be delivered in the inner suburbs compared to the outer suburbs, where residential properties do not always have access to private driveways or off-street parking.

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said it gives EV owners and potential owners certainty about some of the most important questions. “Electric cars aren't the silver bullet for climate action, but for many people they will have an important role, alongside reliable public transport and easier active travel,” he said.

Cllr Colette Finn said the strategy recognises that people without off-street parking need to be catered for but not outside their door.

There are about 3,000 electric cars in the city today which accounts for about 3% of all cars in the city. That figure is expected to grow to 36,000 by 2030.