From left: Fota Island Resort’s Mark O’Doherty and Finola Twomey and ePower founder director Hugh Hall. Image: Brian Lougheed
The Cork-based company said it has partnered with more than 50 hotels across Ireland to install EV chargers, but there are new competitors entering the market.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging company ePower has teamed up with Fota Island Resort in Cork to install charging infrastructure at the hotel.
The deals sees 12 charge points installed at Fota Island Resort, which are now available for hotel guests and members of the public to use. These charge points include six dual AC chargers and a 180KW dual socket DC charger.
The Irish company said it has now teamed up with more than 50 hotels across Ireland to install EV chargers for guests and staff. John O’Keefe, ePower’s CEO, said the Fota hotel places a “great emphasis on sustainability” and that it is a “great addition to our other partner hotels all around Ireland”.
“With the demand for greener transport solutions growing all the time, we are really well placed to support the travel and tourism industry as they cater to a growing number of EV drivers,” O’Keefe said.
Founded in 2018, ePower supplies and installs various types of EV chargers, from smaller home installations to larger public, hotel and apartment charging stations. The company also provides solar power installation services.
The company has been growing steadily in recent years thanks to increasing interest in EVs and the Government’s plans to boost the number of EVs in the country. Last year, ePower raised €2m from private investors to further develop its products.
Earlier this year, the Cork-based company opened an office in Dublin to meet growing demand for its services. The company has worked with Irish Rail, the Environmental Protection Agency and renewable energy firm Ørsted to provide EV infrastructure.
But it is in a competitive sector as various players have taken an interest in Ireland’s EV charging infrastructure, such as Cork smart-charging company Ohme and EV charging platform Monta.
There is also new competition on the way – TotalEnergies and SSE are creating a joint venture called Source to expand EV charging infrastructure across Ireland and the UK.
A report in March warned that EV sales in Ireland fell year-on-year for the fourth time in seven months, causing some in the industry to worry that the Government is falling behind in its plans to electrify the national fleet. Recent data from the Central Statistics Office shows the number of new EVs licensed in Ireland fell by 25pc in the first half of 2024, The Irish Times reports.
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