50 new charging hubs in €20m e-car network investment

New hubs will be created while others will be upgraded

The ESB is to roll out 50 new charging points for electric cars across the country, which will provided up to 100 km of electric driving range in as little as six minutes.

The new hubs are part of €20 million investment across the ESB e-cars network, which will also see 50 existing hubs being upgraded.

The hubs will be able to charge between two and eight vehicles simultaneously.

ESB Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Peter O'Shea said the four-year programme will begin in the autumn.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "Electricity generation is responsible for 20% of our total greenhouse gas emissions and transport is also responsible for 20% of our greenhouse gas emissions and while the emissions in generation are going down, the emissions in transport are going up.

"So if we can decarbonise electricity and we're making great strides in that - by the end of next year 40% of our electricity will be decarbonised - and electrify our transport, well then we can make great inroads into Ireland's greenhouse gas targets".

Mr O'Shea said half of the funding will come from the Government's Climate Action Fund and the rest from ESB's own resources.

While the charging network is free to use at the moment, there will be a cost for the new fast-charge points, although Mr O'Shea said he could not give any details at this time.