Mobility Partnership Ireland (MPI), a coalition of commercial providers enhancing Ireland’s sustainable transport network, has called on Government to use the review of the National Development Plan (NDP) as a timely opportunity to refocus efforts on expanding and coordinating Ireland’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform is due to commence a review of the NDP which will be complete by July 2025.

Following the publication this week of the Climate Action Plan 2025 – which showed that transport emissions increased during 2023 – MPI has called for more ambition in the nationwide roll-out of public EV charging points.

According to data from the Department of Transport, just 700 additional public EV charging points have been added over the past two years, bringing the total to 2,400 in 2024. But, under the EU under the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), Ireland should have at least 3,200 public EV charging points in place by the end of this year. As a result, MPI is concerned that Ireland is on course to miss its EU targets.

This week’s Climate Action Plan 2025 lists “fleet electrification” as one of the measures “expected to provide the greatest share of emissions abatement in the medium term”. However, MPI believe that the current patchiness of the network is acting as a disincentive to transport fleet providers to transition to EVs.

Hugh Cooney, Chair of MPI, stated: “With Ireland set to miss its EU targets, a greater level of ambition is needed to accelerate the roll-out of Ireland’s EV charging infrastructure. The establishment of a new Infrastructure division and taskforce in the Department of Public Expenditure and review of the National Development Plan offer a timely opportunity to craft a coherent, more coordinated, and fully funded approach to developing Ireland’s EV charging infrastructure. Transformative change is needed, and this should be reflected in the National Development Plan.”

MPI is currently finalising a separate pre-budget submission which will include proposal on how the Irish Government can further support commercial transport providers – across bus, taxi, and car rental/car share – to transition to EV by way in fiscal incentives as recently recommended by the European Commission as part of its Decarbonising Corporate Fleets initiative.