There are many factors that’ll have an impact on your power consumption and time to charge. 

How long it takes to charge your electric car really depends on the type of charging station and your car model. Driving style, traffic speed and road conditions all have an impact on power consumption.

The average electricity fee at night is about €0,095 per kWh in Ireland at night (consumer rate). Let’s say your electric car has an empty battery and approximately 40 kWh capacity. Depending on your driving style, your car should be able to reach approximately 280 to 320 km on a single charge. Charging your electric car would cost a total of 40 x 0.095 = €3.80. This means that the power consumption per 100 kilometres is just around €1,24-1,28.

Yes and no. Just like regular electricity outlets, charging stations may have different outlets and connectors depending on the country where you’re charging and your car brand’s origin. Luckily, to make things less complicated, car manufacturers and most countries have now reduced the options to just 2 types of outlets and connectors. From the car’s side, a Type 1 socket is common for Japanese and American vehicles, and a Type 2 socket is common for European vehicles. Note: all Tesla models have a specific type of socket in the US, whereas in Europe, all Tesla models are equipped with a Type 2 socket. From the charging station’s side, all chargers in both Europe and the US are equipped with a Type 2 socket. A charging station with a fixed cable is an exception; in this case, you would always have to check if the attached cable fits into your car’s socket.

Very little. Despite being an advanced technology, electric cars are remarkably simple to maintain. The same is true for EV charging stations. If installed properly and built modularly, every piece can be easily replaced. Charging stations with online connectivity also enable remote diagnostics and repair, so you won’t be left stranded in the rare event of charger malfunction

Yes, of course. Electric vehicles can definitely be charged in the rain as proper covering shields and protective layers are applied to the charging plugs and charging stations. That prevents any kind of sparks, current loss, water mixing or short circuit.

Eligibility criteria

Applicant

• Any private owner who buys an eligible EV from 01/01/2018 is eligible to apply for this grant.
• The EV must be parked on an off-street parking location associated with the home and the charger must be connected back to the fuse board of the home of the applicant.
• The Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), which you can find on your electricity bill, will be used to confirm the location of your home.
• The property can not be associated with a previous EV vehicle grant and charge point offer. For example, it can not have availed of the free ESB Ecars home charger pre 2018.
• Do not commence any work before the start date on your Letter of Offer otherwise this expenditure will be deemed ineligible and you will not receive grant support for it.

Step by step process

1. Complete the SEAI’s online Electric Vehicle Home Charger grant application form. You will need your Meter Point Reference Number (the full 11 digit number on the top of your electricity bill) and your home address Eircode. If you are buying a new EV here in Ireland and receiving an EV grant from SEAI, you will need to provide your application ID which will be available from your car dealer.
2. You may also receive a hard copy of the application form from your nearest registered EV dealer.
3. Once your application has been approved, you will receive a Letter of Offer. This will be issued to you complete with a set of Terms and Conditions and a Payment Request form.
4. From when you receive your Letter of Offer, you have 6 months to complete the installation of your charge point.
5. The work can only be performed by a fully qualified electrician who is registered accordingly with Safe Electric Ireland.
6. Once the installation is completed you should complete the Payment Request Form. This will be completed by you and your Electrician.
7. Your Electrician must provide you with a copy of the Certificate Number 3. Review this and ensure it is completed properly.
8. Post your Payment Request Form to the address indicated on the Form together with the following items:

• Fully signed and completed Payment Request Form including bank account details
• Certificate Number 3
• Copy of Test Record sheet from Electrician
• Vehicle Registration Form (not required for a New car purchased in Ireland)
• Photographs of the installed charge point and the EV showing vehicle registration plate

Your electrician must send a fully completed copy of the Certificate Number 3 to Safe Electric Ireland. We will check with Safe Electric Ireland that the relevant certificate has been filled for that work and that the electrician is a fully approved and registered electrician. Once this is confirmed, we will make an electronic payment of the grant amount to the bank details provided by the you.

Please note, on average applications will processed for payment on the Home Charger Grant Scheme in approximately 6-8 weeks from the date documents are received into SEAI.

Claiming the ACA is very simple as the standard annual tax return procedure is the method used. The following are some simple guideline steps: ƒ

1. Decide upon required piece of equipment.
2. Ensure product is on the Triple E Products Register during relevant accounting period before purchasing.
3. Claim the ACA for the purchased equipment on the company’s tax return form along with any other wear and tear allowances for machinery and plant

To find out if the equipment you bought, or plan to buy, is eligible for the ACA just go www.seai.ie/aca where the up to date Triple E Products Register is maintained by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). For more detailed and definitive information on how to claim the ACA please contact The Irish Revenue Commissioners (www.revenue.ie).