Accelerating EV adoption in NI and ROI

Despite having the same incentives as the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland (NI) faces unique challenges that hinder EV adoption. As of Q1 2024, slightly over 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in NI (1.5% of all vehicles registered), compared to over 1.7m in the UK (3%).  

With the UK government’s plan to ban new petrol and diesel car and van sales by 2035, NI needs a strategic approach to meet its Net Zero emissions target by 2050.  

Against this backdrop, Steer was brought on board by NI’s Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to develop a strategy to accelerate EV adoption – the first of its kind in the region. 

Our goals were to: 

• Identify the specific challenges and opportunities in the region. 
• Forecast EV adoption and infrastructure needs. 
• Recommend actionable measures to support the transition to EVs. 

Outcomes 

Through our analysis, we identified five key areas requiring government intervention: 

1. Market Development 
2. Reliability of Charging Network 
3. EV Awareness 
4. Cost of EV Ownership 
5. Access to EV Charging 

We forecast that Northern Ireland could have between 60,000 and 125,000 EVs by 2030, increasing to 400,000-750,000 by 2035. To support this growth, the region would need around 1,415 public charge points by 2025, including slow/fast on-street chargers as well as rapid charging stations. 

We recommended the establishment of a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Taskforce to support and oversee the transition, which was set up in 2022. Key measures included: 

1. Improving public awareness: Launch campaigns and experiential roadshows to educate the public on EV benefits. 
2. Enhancing incentives in the short-term: Advocate for additional grants and tax breaks, and introduce non-monetary incentives like discounted parking for EVs. 
3. Developing infrastructure: Expand public charging networks in urban areas (particularly with low access to off-street parking) and along highways, ensuring connectivity with Ireland’s network. 
4. Policy interventions: Set standards for EV procurement in public fleets and mandate charging infrastructure in new developments. 

View the final report in full here. 

How Steer helped 

Steer was uniquely positioned to provide expert guidance on this strategy due to our extensive experience in developing early-stage EV infrastructure strategies in mainland UK. 

At the beginning of the last decade, when EV infrastructure was still in its infancy, we led on the development of comprehensive EV strategies for several London Boroughs, including Hackney. This project was among the first of its kind, setting a precedent for urban, on-street EV infrastructure development in one of the world's leading cities. 

Since then, our experience in Hackney, other London boroughs and across different UK local authorities such as Plymouth, Bristol and Southend-by-Sea, provided us with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with EV infrastructure rollouts in urban and sub-urban environments. This expertise was directly applicable to NI, where similar challenges—such as urban density, limited charging access, and the need for rapid infrastructure development—needed to be addressed.  

There is a strong link between EV adoption in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, as both countries have the same chargepoint operator – demonstrating the need for an “all-Ireland approach”. Steer has a wealth of experience in advising on EV projects in ROI, including: 

• Producing a commissioned report on how to more effectively promote EVs to end-users within the population for NI Consumer Council. 
• Conducting commercial due diligence for a private operator for the rollout of EV charging infrastructure. 

To learn more or for support with projects involving EV adoption strategies, speak to Matthew Clark.