ESB Introduces "Pay-to-Charge" in Northern Ireland

^{23rd March 2023}

From Wednesday 26th April, Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers in Northern Ireland will pay to use the ESB public charging network. The new payment scheme has been introduced to support the expansion of the electric vehicle public charging network.

ESB have confirmed that customers will be provided with two payment options; a PAYG option and a membership option, with the latter designed for drivers who typically use the network more than five times per month. Both options will require customers wishing to use the ESB public charging network to firstly sign up to www.esb.ie/ecars/NI if they have not done already.

ESB have stated that the cost of charging will depend on how rapid the charger is, but a standard charger will be 49p per kWh (kilowatt hour) for pay-as-you-go customers and 46p for members.

In addition to the new pay-to-charge scheme, overstay fees at charge points will kick in after a qualifying period to improve availability of charge points and to ensure fair usage.

The Electric Vehicle Association Northern Ireland said:

"With the launch of payments here, users will expect to see an immediate increase in the availability of chargers, reflecting the experience in Ireland when they were introduced in 2019".

The introduction of pay-to-charge comes as part of an overall investment programme which aims to meet Northern Ireland’s growing demand for electric vehicles, and to support the delivery of net zero emissions. The £10 million investment project is funded in part by £3.27m from the Levelling Up Fund and includes replacing all existing fast (22kW) and rapid (50kW) EV chargers across Northern Ireland.   

John Byrne, Head of ESB ecars, said:

"Pay for use for public charging is now the norm across GB and Ireland. This is a natural step in ensuring we improve the network and maintain high standards for EV drivers into the future".