Mayo to get five new high-power recharging hubs

Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien has announced the sites of 53 new high-power recharging hubs to service the expanding electric vehicle (EV) fleet across Ireland's national road network. An allocation of almost €8 million will be provided to support grants for recharging infrastructure at the selected sites, with chargers set to be in place by the end of this year.

These new sites will deliver 175 new fast and ultra-fast recharging points, at 53 locations along the national road network, making it quicker and easier for EV drivers to top up on longer journeys.

In Mayo, the following sites on either the N17 or N5 will host high-power recharging hubs: McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris; Ballindine Service Station; Golden Mile Service Station, Breaffy Road, Castlebar; Keegan's Centra, Station Road, Castlebar and Corrib Oil, Castlebar.

The sites in Sligo are: Applegreen, Carraroe; Whiteside's SuperValu, Ballisodare; Surlis' SuperValue, Tubbercurry; Drive Service Station, Ballinaboola Drive, Sligo. 

The announcement is part of a wider plan to build a reliable recharging network across the country, with the distance between recharging hubs to be 60km or less.

Minister O’Brien said: “We’re taking real, practical steps to make electric vehicles work for everyone. With more chargers, more choice, and more support, we hope even more people will feel confident making the switch to electric. These high-powered chargers are a key step in that process. We’re committed to building a sustainable and cleaner transport system, and that means making it easy to charge wherever you are.” 

The recharging hubs are funded through the Light Duty Vehicle (LDV) initiative operated by Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), and delivered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). This phase of the initiative focused on over 1,200km of national single carriageway roads. Enterprises such as petrol/service station operators, car park owners, hotels, supermarkets/retail outlets, and others with publicly accessible sites could apply through a competitive grant process for funding. The total allocation for this aspect is €7.9 million.

"The 53 recharging hubs will significantly improve coverage on the relevant roads," said the Minister. "Efforts will continue to seek to address any sections of the 1,200km network requiring additional support, where it was not possible to make sufficient awards under this phase of the grant scheme programme."