ESB announced this week that charging your car at its public fast charge points will now be a paid-for service. Although the fee for fast charging has always been anticipated, the timing is interesting considering the government’s intention to have 1mn EVs on the road by 2030 and the historically low uptake of EVs. State-owned utility ESB has the largest network of charge points and since 2010 it has been free for the public to use. This week’s blog looks at the government targets and whether ESB’s head start in the deployment of charging infrastructure will be a good investment down the line.
Related thinking
Commercial and market outlook
ESB charts direction for changes to the NEM
The below extract has been taken from our eighth edition of ‘Energy Spectrum Australia’, and if you would like to read more about the latest developments in the Australian energy market, please contact enquiries@cornwall-insight.com.au for a free trial of our ‘Energy Spectrum Australia’ service. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has provided an...
Announcement
Update | Demand for more charging infrastructure as EV ownership increases
We recently received additional information on a press release issued at the beginning of December on Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) charge points. Below is an update to the data and graph. We would like to apologise for any issues this may have caused. Updated analysis by Cornwall Insight shows the...
E-mobility and low carbon
New service shows Electric Vehicles role in net zero
As the ban of petrol and diesel vehicles looks set to be brought forward from 2040, electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly the focus of the UK’s net zero journey. Last week the Labour party joined calls to bring the sale ban of new internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid vehicles...
E-mobility and low carbon
EV sales defy the market
The spread of COVID-19 in the UK triggered a lockdown which severely impacted vehicle sales in March. Car sales fell 44.4% compared to the same month a year earlier and for the year-to-date are down 31.0%. The primary reasons for this decline appear to be the closure of car dealerships,...
E-mobility and low carbon
Off the pace: Irish EV sales lag 2030 target levels
This week’s blog compares the number of electric cars, including hybrid variants, sold in Ireland to date in 2020 against the same period for 2019. It shows that in January, EV registrations rose by 73.6% to 5,739 compared with January 2019. In February, sales rose by 13.3% compared with the...
Regulation and policy
Getting it done? What the Budget means for energy and clean growth
New Chancellor Rishi Sunak has delivered his first Budget after less than a month in the job. On areas such as the living wage, growth and investment, Sunak said again and again that the government is “getting it done!” However, there was relatively little news in the speech on what...
E-mobility and low carbon
Hy-way: A hydrogen roadmap for Irish transport
The Hydrogen Mobility Ireland consortium, formed to develop and oversee an implementation strategy to introduce the use of hydrogen for mobility in Ireland, published its vision A Hydrogen Roadmap for Irish Transport, 2020-2030 in October. In this week's blog, we examine the key findings of the report, including the policies needed...
Commercial and market outlook
Editor’s Pick | Is ESB’s market dominance still a concern?
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB). It doesn’t take too long venturing into the Irish energy sector before one encounters this company. Founded in 1927, the former monopoly provider was responsible for rural electrification in 1946. ESB group companies own the network and participate in generation and supply markets. In the...
