Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Barr for the presentation. It is very disappointing to hear that there are only 1,100 electric cars in Ireland. I always believed electric cars would take off. I know many have said it was down to the oil companies holding them back. Whether that is true or false is another story. I am not convinced of it myself.

One of the things that might deter someone from getting an electric car is the time it takes to charge. The position and number of chargers with such a small number of electric cars in the country is an issue. It is not easy to get the chargers throughout the country in the way that drivers would require. It would mean going to the local authorities and making the argument. It probably will be difficult but not impossible. I know there is one at Glasnevin in a bay. People do not seem to park in it from what I can see.

I would have thought solar energy would have been used more in the cars themselves or even in buses where there would be more scope, or in the transport industry. I would have thought there would have been some kind of self-charging mechanism on the cars without having to go to a charger. Maybe technology has not reached that point. I am not too sure.