Petrol station operator Circle K is planning to invest €7 million in installing its own brand of fast chargers for electric vehicles at more than 30 forecourts by 2025.
The company has already installed the first of the chargers at service stations on the M9 in Rathrogue, Co Carlow, and the M8 at Fermoy, Co Cork.
The new chargers have speeds of up to 300kW, and future chargers will offer charging speeds of 150kW.
“Today’s announcement builds on our existing EV offering and confirms our ambition to support Irish motorists in their transition to electric vehicles, helping support the Government’s EV targets. We are excited to introduce our new high-speed, reliable, strategically placed charging points and look forward to welcoming customers to our locations,” said Gordon Lawlor, managing director of Circle K Ireland.
“EV is something we have been extremely focused on for a number of years. Being part of the Circle K global network means we have access to the very latest thinking and key developments on EV charging, especially from our colleagues in Norway who are leading the way in terms of electrification. This, coupled with our expertise locally, puts us in a very strong position to support our customers. We intend to use this expertise in the years ahead to continue adding chargers to our network.”
The addition of the Circle K chargers will further expand the company’s already installed network of chargers from suppliers such as ESB, Ionity and Tesla. The company has chargers located at 42 service stations.
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan welcomed the release of the company’s own-brand chargers.
“Ensuring motorists have easy access to charging facilities across the country will play a key role in our transition away from internal combustion engine vehicles,” he said. “Today’s announcement will support the Government’s goal of rapidly increasing the number of publicly accessible chargers across Ireland and will help to give even more motorists the confidence to make the switch to an electric vehicle.”
