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We are aware that there are reliability issues with parts of the electric vehicle charging network in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, due to the age of many of these chargers, most of which were installed almost 10 years ago, they are no longer supported by the original manufacturer and cannot be fixed despite the best efforts of our maintenance contractors. ESB replaced 30 fast/22kW AC chargers in Northern Ireland to date and plans to replace a number of rapid chargers upon delivery of new equipment in the coming months.

A much larger replacement programme is required to ensure a reliable and modern network that meets electric vehicle drivers needs for years to come. With the help of £3.27 million from the Levelling Up Fund (LUH), we are working to expand and enhance the EV charging network which will transform the public charging experience for current and future EV drivers in Northern Ireland.

Will ESB invest in the charging infrastructure?

ESB replaced 30 fast/22kW AC chargers and plans to replace five rapid chargers upon delivery of new equipment in the coming months. A much larger replacement programme is required to ensure a reliable and modern network that meets electric vehicle drivers needs for years to come. With the help of £3.27 million from the Levelling Up Fund (LUH), we are working to expand and enhance the EV charging network which will transform the public charging experience for current and future EV drivers in Northern Ireland.

What 30 fast/22kW AC chargers have been replaced?

Below is a list of chargers that have already been replaced.

Public Parking, Palace Demense Park (A3), Off Friary Road (A3), Armagh, BT60 4EL	Armagh
Car Park, Abbey Lane, Off Linenhall Street, Armagh, BT61 7DW	Armagh
Public Car Park, Quay Street, Bangor, BT20 5ED	Bangor
BCC Car Park, Cromac Street, Belfast, BT2 8JN	Belfast
BCC Car Park, Hope Street North/Bruce Street, Belfast, BT12 5ED	Belfast
BCC Car Park, Little Donegall Street, Belfast, BT1 2JD	Belfast
Lower Crescent, Belfast, BT7 1NR	Belfast
Strand Road, Londonderry, BT48 7AJ	Derry
Victoria Market Car Park, Off Queens Quay Roundabout, Londonderry, BT48 7AS	Derry
Carlisle Road, Belfast, Derry, BT48 6JW	Derry
Riverdale, Off High Street, Larne, BT40 1LB	Larne
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council Car Park, Benson Street, Lisburn, BT28 2AA	Lisburn
Newry & Mourne Museum (Bagenal's Castle), Abbey Way (A28), Newry, BT34 2BY	Newry
Public Car Park, Bridge Street, Newry, BT35 8AN	Newry
Hill Street, Newry, BT34 1AR,	Newry
Robinson Centre, Montgomery Rd, Belfast, Antrim	Antrim
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, 153 Bangor Rd, Holywood	Holywood
Agnew Street, Larne	Larne
Car Park, @Spar on Harbour Road/Garron Road, Havelock Place, Larne	Larne
Jordanstown Train Station Park & Ride, Lynda Avenue, Jordanstown	Jordanstown
Wellington Street, Enniskillen	Enniskillen
Ulster-American Folk Park, 2 Mellon Road, Omagh	Omagh
Monaghan Street, Newry, Down	Down
The Quays Shopping Centre, Via Bridge Street or Albert Basin, Down	Down
Quayside Public Parking, Stella Maris Street, Strangford, Down	Down
Ratkeltair House, Market Street, Downpatrick	Downpatrick
Galgorm Resort and Spa, 136 Fenaghy Rd, Ballymena, Antrim	Antrim
Trolan's Supervalu (Filling Station), Ballymena Road (B62), Ballymoney	Ballymoney
DRD Car Park, Lower Lansdowne Road/ Bath Road, Portrush, 438.0, Antrim	Antrim
Cairnshill Park and Ride, Saintfield Road/PurdysburnRoad, Belfast BT8 SH	Belfast

What rapid chargers are being replaced?

Five rapid chargers are due to be replaced in the coming months upon delivery of new chargers. These chargers will be located at:

Texaco, Junction One Shopping Centre, Ballymena Road, Antrim, BT41 4LQ

Maxol Centra Antrim Road Filling Station, Queen Street, Ballymena, BT42 2BJ

Five Ways Shops & Texaco Service Station, 101 Armagh Road, Newry, BT35 6PW.

Applegreen Templepatrick Services, M2 N/W-bound, Newtownabbey, BT364RN.

Fort Service Station, 234 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3QB.

Why were these specific chargers selected to be upgraded?

The chargers were selected for a variety of reasons including uptime, usage (current and historical) and adjacent population.

Why are you changing the brand on the chargers?

Given ESB’s investment and operation of the network it makes sense to align the branding with other chargers on ESB’s network.

Have you any plans to introduce pay for use for the chargers in Northern Ireland? If so, how much?

Further investment is required to improve the reliability of the network before “pay for use” can be introduced. A much larger replacement programme is required to ensure a reliable and modern network that meets electric vehicle drivers needs for years to come. With the help of £3.27 million from the Levelling Up Fund (LUH), we are working to expand and enhance the EV charging network which will transform the public charging experience for current and future EV drivers in Northern Ireland. Once the reliability improves, ESB will introduce pay for use for the chargers in Northern Ireland.

Has ESB plans to install charging hubs in Northern Ireland?

Yes. With the help of £3.27 million from the Levelling Up Fund (LUH), we are working to expand and enhance the EV charging network which will transform the public charging experience for current and future EV drivers in Northern Ireland. This project will double the existing number of rapid chargers and will also see the introduction of high power (200kW) charging for the first time in Northern Ireland through the delivery of five high power charging (200kW) hubs in strategic locations. These high-power charging hubs can charge multiple vehicles simultaneously and can provide an EV with 100km of range in as little as six minutes.

Electric Vehicles (EV)

What is an electric vehicle (EV)?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are powered in total, or partially, by electric power from batteries charged in the electrical network.

What types of EVs are there?

Battery EVs (BEVs) are vehicles powered by one or several electric engines, supplied by electrical energy stored in batteries that have been charged in the electrical network.
Extended-Range EVs (E-REVs) are vehicles of similar characteristics to BEVs where traction is only electrical. However, they also include an internal combustion engine functioning as a generator to charge batteries, increasing the vehicle’s autonomy.
Plug-in Hybrid EVs (PHEVs) are vehicles that combine an internal combustion engine (ICE) with batteries and an electric engine as well. Both engines power the vehicle so it has two external sources of energy: the fuel for the engine and the electrical network for the batteries.

What is the driving range of an EV?

The range varies depending on the make and model of the EV and is dependent on the vehicle efficiency, battery capacity as well as driving style.

How long does it take to charge an EV?

There are three different types of charging options:

Home charging - 6-8 hours
Fast charging (AC) - 1-6 hours depending on car model and range
Rapid charging -30* minutes to achieve an 80% charge

Why do EV's charge at different rates?

The rating marked on charge points is the maximum continuous rate of charge available to an EV from the charger.

The vehicle's Battery Management System (BMS) continuously controls the rate during a charging session and dictates the rate of charge. The rate depends on a number of factors outside of the control of the charger.

The most common factors effecting the charging rate are:

Make & Model of EV: Some models of EVs are not capable of availing of the full kW available from a charge point but can still obtain a charge suitable to its own maximum charging rate.
State of Charge (SOC) of battery: The rate of charging allowed by the EVs BMS reduces as the battery comes closer to fully charged in order to reduce stress on the battery pack. This reduction for most EV models starts around 50% and charge rate reduces dramatically after 80%. Fast charging is most effective up to 80% SOC.
Temperature of Battery: If the battery is too cold or too hot, the EVs BMS will adjust the rate of charge to protect the cells of the battery. Some EVs will activate internal heaters or fans to maintain a temperature between 20 and 25C. The main factors effecting battery temperature is the amount of driving and charging done up to the charging session.

What is the lifetime of an EV battery?

Most experts say that the lifetime of a battery is between six and 10 years. Once the battery comes to the end of its lifespan, it can be recycled. Some manufacturers offer a battery guarantee on their vehicles of five or seven years or 160,000kms, whichever comes first. Please check with your vehicle dealer for more information.

What are the environmental benefits?

EVs offer a real opportunity to reduce the carbon output of the transport sector, as they emit zero exhaust pipe emissions. Most people will charge their vehicles at night when a higher proportion of electricity is generated from wind. The growth in the generation of electricity from renewable sources offers a route towards carbon free, emission free motoring.

Charging your EV

Where can I charge my EV?

The majority of EV's are charged at home or at work using a dedicated charge point or on the ESB public charging network which can be found at locations such as on-street, hotels and motorway service areas.

Charging your EV at home

How do I charge my EV at home?

The safest way to charge an EV at home is to use dedicated electrical vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). This consists of an outdoor socket properly protected against rain and a residual current device type that is designed to handle DC pulses, as well as AC current. A separate circuit from the distribution board should be used to supply the EVSE. Extension leads should not be used, as even uncoiled; they are not intended to carry full rated current for lengthy periods.

Charging your EV on the ESB public charging network

There are currently over 1,350 public charge points available across the island of Ireland with over 300 of those located in Northern Ireland. These are at locations such as on-street, shopping centres, vehicle parks etc.

How do I find the closest charge point to me?

Information on the location and real-time availability status of charge points is provided through the ecar connect mobile app available from the Google Play and Apple app stores and on our charge point map on the website.

Are there different charging connectors at the public charging points for different types of EVs?

1. DC CHADEMO: This connector is used to charge Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi vehicles.

2. CCS COMBO: This connector is used to charge EVs such as BMW, Volkswagen, Hyundai etc.

3. AC 43: This connector is used to charge EV's such as the Renault Zoe.

I am a new EV driver. How do I sign up to use the ESB public fast charging network?

To sign up to use the ESB public charging network, create an account via the sign up form on our homepage.

How do I start and stop a charging session?

You can start and stop a charging session by using an ESB charge point access card or alternatively by using the ecar connect app following these steps;

1. Use the app to find your nearest ESB charge point (or ecarNI branded charger).
2. Select your charge point.
3. Select your connector type.
4. Follow the in-app instructions to start charging by swiping right.
5. Remember to check the app to ensure your car has started charging.
6. Keep an eye on the charger screen, chargers may vary, some may require you to press the start button on the charger itself.
7. Swipe left to stop the charge when you are finished.

Pricing

Contact Us

0345 601 8303
ecars@esb.ie

@ESBecars

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