ESB raises public EV charging prices in Northern Ireland for the second time in five months
By Eve
ESB is raising public charging prices in Northern Ireland from Monday, with contactless rates at 85p per kWh for chargers of 49kW and above and 72p per kWh for chargers up to 48kW. Pay as you go app rates rise to 83p and 70p per kWh respectively, and 'Charge Lite' subscribers (£4.99 a month) will pay 79p above 49kW and 67p up to 48kW. This follows a July increase that set the contactless faster rate at 75p per kWh and the slower rate at 61p per kWh, which ESB attributes to continued rises in wholesale electricity costs.
Why it matters
Two price rises in five months show how wholesale cost pressure is feeding straight through to Northern Ireland's public charging tariffs, which affects driver demand and operator margin assumptions. ESB's planned 'Charge Smart' subscription from 25 November, with discounted off-peak rates, signals a move towards time-of-use pricing that CPOs and bidders should factor into tariff design.
Source
- Original title
- “ESB hike price of public electric vehicle charging in Northern Ireland for a second time inside five months”
- Published
- 2 November 2026
In this story
- Topic
- EV Charging
- Place
- United Kingdom
- Tag
- ESB
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