Dr. Tadhg O'Mahony:

On the achievability of the electric vehicles target, I would not say it is not possible to do it with electric vehicles - it certainly is - but it relies on a number of things. It relies on the supply of minerals required to make the batteries being constantly available globally, including sufficient supply to manufacture the vehicles that would come to Ireland. That is not guaranteed. It also means we have a system that just requires more technological change overall. That already becomes more costly. It is the wrong approach to start at 2030. We must always start with 2050 and with the preventative approaches of avoid and shift, only coming to improve at the end. I would not say it is not possible, but our target in the climate action plan to move up to 936,000 electric vehicles is the same diffusion rate as Norway's. Norway is the world leader and that has cost a lot in terms of public subvention. If we are relying on the cost of electric vehicles coming down, we are taking a little bit of a risk that it will happen on an expected timeline. It also embeds the other sustainability issues.

Electric vehicles cannot deal with the issue of particulate matter completely. A total of 50% of emissions will remain because they come from tyre and break wear. It affects cognitive development of the unborn child, mental health and cardiovascular disease. There are a whole range of human health impacts so, again, relying on that is ceding ground to an approach to transport systems which is not sustainable. That being said we should still do it. We should still pursue EVs and alternative drivetrains but not prioritise them.

The Deputy has hit on a really important issue of people who may not be able to afford this. If we rely on EVs and potentially on retiring cars before their usual end of life and give public subvention to help people to do that - scrappage schemes and other things, that is a direct transfer of wealth from the State to people who are usually wealthier. It leaves out people who may be on the minimum wage or may be earning less. To provide a mobility system, not a transport system, that serves all is another reason from a just transition equity perspective to prioritise avoid and shift and not just improve in EVs.