"Minister cannot say how many publicly funded EV chargers are working"

Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has criticised the failure to collect basic information on the performance of taxpayer-funded EV infrastructure after the Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien confirmed to her that his Department does not collect data on how many publicly funded EV charging points are currently operational.

Since 2022, an estimated €148.36 million has been allocated to support a range of EV charging infrastructure.

The admission emerged in a parliamentary reply to Deputy Nolan and comes amid substantial public investment in electric vehicle supports.

In a separate response, the minister also confirmed that the Department cannot quantify the emissions reductions resulting from almost €377 million spent on EV grant schemes since 2022 because the necessary data is not collected.

According to the minister's reply, the carbon reductions delivered through EV grants depend on the vehicles displaced and the mileage driven. However, that information is not gathered as part of the grant process. Instead, the Department relies on broader modelling contained within the Climate Action Plan, which projects future emissions reductions from fleet electrification:

“The astonishing thing about the replies is not only the amount of money being spent, but also the fact that the minister cannot tell us how many publicly funded charging points are effectively out of commission,” said Deputy Nolan.

“If taxpayers are funding EV infrastructure, the minister should at the very least be able to say whether that infrastructure is functioning. Yet the Department has confirmed that it does not collect even this basic information.”

Deputy Nolan said the issue extends beyond charging infrastructure: “Instead of measuring actual outcomes, the minister is relying on projections of what may happen in the future. There is a significant difference between intentions and results.”

The Independent TD said the replies raise broader questions about how major public policy programmes are being evaluated:

“If these policies are delivering the benefits claimed for them, the minister should be able to demonstrate that through clear, measurable outcomes. The fact that this information is not available raises obvious questions about how success is being assessed,” Deputy Nolan concluded.