SSE has opened a ten-bay ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Ireland, the company’s first in the country.
The Irish minister for enterprise, trade and employment, Peter Burke, officially opened the charging hub in County Westmeath.
SSE plans to build 300 ultra-rapid EV charging hubs powered by traceable, renewable energy in the UK and Ireland in the next five years, with several sites already open and more under construction.
Each bay has a charging capacity of 150kW, and the site has been designed to accommodate electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs) as well as standard EVs. The hub has four long-wheelbase drive-through bays purpose-built for eHGVs, the first of its kind in Ireland.
Over the coming months, SSE will open further hubs at various Irish locations including Blanchardstown Business Park, Greenogue Industrial Estate (both County Dublin), and Ashbourne Retail Park (County Meath).
The energy company recently announced a joint venture with TotalEnergies under the brand “Source” to establish a new player in EV charging infrastructure in the UK and Ireland. It intends to deploy up to 3,000 ultra-rapid charge points over the next five years—all existing SSE charging hubs will be rebranded as Source.
According to SSE, users of its charging hubs will also benefit from its roaming payment partner, Octopus Electroverse.
Sean O’Callaghan, SSE’s EV operations director, said: “With the number of EVs on Irish roads growing quickly, the deployment of fast and reliable EV charging infrastructure is essential. The launch of our first ultra-rapid charging hub in Ireland is proof that SSE will support the Irish government’s ambitions to meet the demand for this infrastructure and this is just the beginning of our ambitions.”
Indeed, in October last year, Cornwall Insight analysis showed that Ireland’s battery electric vehicle (BEV) growth outpaced much of Europe’s in 2023.
Burke said: “To reduce transport emissions and meet our climate targets, the government is committed to promoting and incentivising the use of EVs.
“Private investment like this is essential to grow the network with the pace and scale required to meet Ireland’s ambitious targets. I am delighted SSE has selected Mullingar as the location of their first EV charging Hub in Ireland. I have no doubt that businesses in the region with eHGVs, as well as members of the public, will benefit from this innovative site.”
