The proposed M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway will have Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure built into the design according to the latest plans.

Plans are advancing for the construction of an M20 motorway connecting Cork and Limerick cities, along with associated active travel and sustainable driving infrastructure.

The current plans call for an 80km dual-carriageway motorway from Blarney to Patrickswel in the same corridor as the existing N20 route.

The plans include transport hubs to be located at Rathduff, Mourneabbey, Mallow, Buttevant, Charleville, Bruree and Croom along the route of the motorway.

These hubs would include public EV charging stations, along with park & ride facilities for public transport.

A freight hub at Mallow will also feature parking and EV charging stations for electric or hybrid heavy goods vehicles.

The route will also incorporate up to 100km of safe, shared active travel pathways to encourage walking and cycling connecting communities from Blarney to Patrickswell.

The new motorway is expected to deliver more efficient public transport services, including faster intercity buses and improvements on existing services serving communities between Cork and Limerick.

A final design for the project is expected to be shared in Q4, 2024, with a planning application lodged next year, subject to government approval.

Earlier this year the government allocated just over €4 million to continue advancing the project.

In May, the government unveiled the ambitious National Road EV Charging Network Plan, which aims to have pools of EV charging stations totalling 400kW every 60km along the Ten-T National Road Network by 2025.

Beyond that, it calls for Charging pools of 600 kW for electric cars at 60 km intervals in both directions on the comprehensive national road network by 2035.