ESB has presented its most powerful and fastest charging option for electric cars. It can deliver enough power in six minutes to drive a top-class electric car 100 km.
It can charge six such cars at this rapid pace and two more at a third of that pace at the same time.
This new charging station for high performance electric vehicles occupies eight parking spaces at Junction 14 gas station in Mayfield on the M7 motorway near Monasterevin in Co Kildare.
Its three largest loading machines – there are four in total – can each pump 150 kilowatts of power per hour.
According to John Byrne, Head of ESB eCars, that is enough to charge a small housing estate.
Never before has so much electrical energy been made available to the general public in such a small space.
Byrne said this was the future, but to make it happen, ESB had to build a new substation near the gas station.
It also installed countless high-tech electrical connections and infrastructures in a fenced area right behind the charging station.
It costs a citizen 37 cents for every unit of electricity that he consumes while charging there.
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The number of units you may need to fully charge from an empty state can range from 24 to 95 units (kilowatts) depending on the battery capacity of each individual eCar model.
In any case, it is very unlikely that drivers with empty batteries will even show up to charge.
The cost of 37 cents per unit of high-speed current means considerable savings in the cost of refueling a gasoline or diesel car. Even so, it’s at least three times more expensive than home charging.
Standard home chargers for electric cars deliver between 3 and 6 kilowatts per hour, a fraction of the 150 kilowatts these new mega-machines offer at Mayfield.
The loading speed is very convenient, but it also has to be paid for.
Today’s commissioning of the charging station for powerful electric vehicles is part of an investment program worth 20 million euros, which is financed by the climate protection plan of the government and the ESB.
A process to improve and expand our national charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is in full swing. The ESB is aiming for 50 charging stations and at the same time is further expanding the national charging infrastructure.
It already has six powerful hubs installed that can charge three cars at the same time. It has also replaced 590 charging points and upgraded 31 standard chargers to higher speeds.
Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said one great thing about promoting electric vehicles and introducing the new charging infrastructure is that we will end up using our own energy to power our cars, especially wind energy.
That creates jobs and reduces our CO2 emissions. He himself recently took possession of a brand new Volkswagen iD3 electric car, which he drove to the launch.
“They are better cars and easier to drive. They are the future of driving,” he said.
For Mayfield Service Station there is very little profit (if any) from this new mega-charging hub. Mayfield makes no margin or profit on the electricity it issues. The area including the eight parking spaces is literally rented from ESB.
No doubt the gas station will benefit somewhat from drivers having a coffee or something to eat while their cars are being charged. But there is still not much money for the gas station here.
It has housed the ESB and the charging of electric cars since it opened ten years ago.
Mayfield Director Liam Fitzpatrick said owners are very aware of the need for greater availability, innovation and better charging speeds as they seek to make driving more sustainable.
Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director, Customer Solutions at ESB, said, “The electrification of transport is a key component of ESB’s low-carbon strategy for a better future and the new high-capacity charging hub is an important milestone.”
