Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications
Additional Uses of Natural Gas: Gas Networks Ireland
9:30 am
Mr. Denis O'Sullivan:
We have been engaged with all of the representative bodies of companies running public vehicles and private fleets. There is a very high level of interest in this issue, but the principal concern for everybody is the roll-out of the infrastructure. They understand the benefits to be gained in transitioning in fuel costs and emissions, but they have two concerns. Their primary concern is the roll-out of infrastructure and its timing, but they are also concerned about the cost differential between a diesel truck and a CNG truck, which is an upfront cost. Smaller companies, in particular, are concerned about additional upfront costs involved in getting a vehicle on the road. The organisations and entities with which we are engaged are very much commercial entities. If it makes economic sense, they very much want to be a part of it and pursue it. That is exactly what we are seeing. Perhaps that is slightly different from the approach of consumers of electric vehicles, where there are other considerations.
No comments