Maxol has announced a €2.5 million investment in 12 high speed chargers at EV hubs which will open in Kildare and Dublin later this year.
The business is considering a further 20 sites for EV hubs across the country over the next three years.
There is a growing demand for EV charging facilities with the CSO publishing figures yesterday, which show that 2,829 new electric cars were licensed in January - up 12% on the same month a year earlier.
However, while Maxol aims to submit planning applications for similar EV charging hubs this year, according to Group CEO, Brian Donaldson, it will face challenges.
"While our strategy is to offer EV charging in areas where we see greatest demand, the speed at which we can roll out our EV transition programme is hugely frustrating," Mr Donaldson said.
"Access to power capacity and the time it takes to connect to the grid are ongoing challenges with no immediate improvements in sight. The process is not aided by the high costs for substation and connection fees to establish these much-needed hubs both in ROI and NI."
Speaking on Morning Ireland, he said the power for Ballycoolin and for Newbridge is 1 MW, or a thousand kilowatts. "The size of those cables are enormous," he said, "so we have to liase hand in glove with ESB Networks in making sure we get that amount of power."
He said the cost of a sub station is over €200,000, and the cost of additional capacity and connection can range from €20,000 to several hundred thousand. There is also the investment above ground.
"You have to meet the needs of the consumer and what they want is fast charging; they want it in a safe environment; they want ease of payment and they also want to make sure there are other facilities to use while they are charging."
Yesterday, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan announced the launch of a new €21m scheme to accelerate the development of high-powered EV charging infrastructure across Ireland's road network.
The scheme targets publicly available facilities within 3km driving distance of the motorway/dual-carriageway network such as service area operators, hotels, and retail outlets.
Maxol has invested €225m in the last ten years to future proof the business in preparation for the transition to EV mobility. EV charging and new and alternative fuels are all part of its future.
"Maxol in its 104 years has always been innovative in its approach and is committed to supporting the move to EV with full facility service stations that meet all our customers' needs," he said.
The Ultra Rapid EV hub in Newbridge will open in March followed by Ballycoolin in May.
