Electric.ie July/August 2021

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 45 EV Home Charger Grant now available to Company Car Users ‒ The SEAI has announced that company car users can now apply for the EV Home Charger Grant. This now means that electric passenger vehicles owned or leased for an employee are eligible for the grant. T he current scheme provides a grant up to the value of €600 towards the purchase and installation of a home charger unit. The company vehicle must be primarily parked overnight at the employee’s place of residence. Commenting on this development Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD said “We have set a very ambitious target of almost a million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 to help us meet our climate goals and reduce air pollution at the same time. It’s very encouraging to see the rapid increase in EV sales. We particularly want to encourage companies to switch to electric and make their businesses more sustainable. We are making it easier and more attractive to do that by extending the home charger grant to employees who need to use a company car for business purposes.” Declan Meally, Director Business, Public Sector and Transport at SEAI said “This development will further facilitate those who drive company cars and those businesses who are working towards reducing their carbon footprint by switching their company passenger vehicles to EVs. Home charging is convenient, cost effective and environmentally friendly. Today it accounts for 80% of EV charging sessions and we see that continuing into the future.” Company car users may apply online for the Home Charger grant here. https://www.seai.ie/grants/electric-vehicle-grants/electric-vehicle-home-charger-grant/ Industry News Extended Deadline for €9,000 Customs Grant for Business ‒ Applications will now be accepted up until 31 August this year. T he Government has extended the deadline for applications to the €9,000 ‘Ready for Customs’ grant scheme, allowing businesses to continue to apply for help until 31st August, 2021. The grant, which is administered by Enterprise Ireland, provides up to €9,000 for each new employee hired into a customs role. The grant is exible and allows businesses to claim for redeployed and part-time staff. Giles O’Neill, Manager of Enterprise Ireland’s Brexit Unit said, “The Ready for Customs grant is assisting hundreds of companies to adjust to our new trading relationship with the UK. In addition to the core offer of €9,000 per newly hired employee, the grant is flexible and can cover overhead costs such as training associated with hiring a new employee. “We know that many companies are now assessing their future customs capabilities. It is important for companies to know that they can apply for the grant for each new employee hired. So, for instance, companies who have already availed of the grant and are now looking to increase their internal customs capability can apply for any new staff hired.”