Mr. Declan Meally:

I thank you, Chair, and joint committee members for the invitation to attend the meeting today and to discuss the Government's draft EV charging infrastructure strategy. I am joined by my colleague, Mr. Graham Brennan, the programme manager for EV charging infrastructure. I thank the committee for affording me the opportunity to present my opening statement.

The SEAI is at the forefront of delivering Ireland's energy revolution. We are funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Transport. We have had a major transformative impact on the Irish economy, and in the past decade our actions have underpinned more than €1.2 billion in energy savings. We are catalysts for action through our grant and incentive programmes and our capacity-building processes. Citizens, communities, businesses and other stakeholders are at the heart of everything we deliver.

Transport is the single largest source of energy-related emissions in Ireland, representing about 40% of energy-related emissions, equivalent to about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. While this decreased temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has since rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, despite even the dramatic fuel price increases in recent months. The majority of transport emissions come from road transport, approximately 50% from private car users and 25% from freight and commercial fleets, which is difficult to decarbonise due to the dominance of the combustion engine and its associated fuel supply infrastructure.

Since 2011 the SEAI has actively promoted the purchase of electric vehicles, including battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles but excluding hybrid electric vehicles, and the associated charging infrastructure in Ireland. Today we have over 60,000 EVs on our roads, representing about 2.7% of our total car fleet. The annual sales rate of EVs has grown massively in 2022, representing 21%, or one in five, of all new car sales, up from 13% for the same period last year. Demand for EVs is high all across the EU and the UK, with six-month waiting lists not uncommon for prospective car buyers. If Ireland is to reach its target of 845,000 passenger EVs on the roads by 2030, representing 40% of the total car fleet, the EV sales rate will need to reach 100% of all new cars before the end of the decade. That will require determined investment in public charging infrastructure and efforts to provide charging facilities to the more difficult locations such as on-street, apartment and multi-unit development-type locations. The SEAI therefore welcomes the publication of the draft EV charging infrastructure strategy by the Department of Transport.

We are providing insights and expertise to our colleagues in the Department of Transport to assist the development of the EV charging infrastructure strategy and we look forward to the finalisation and delivery of the strategy as a key part of the overall shift to zero-emissions transport. Adequate infrastructure is a key enabler of EV uptake in Ireland and can ensure that all vehicle users can complete their necessary journeys with confidence. Infrastructure must be installed across a range of locations, including private, commercial and public sites, and involves a range of parties, including planners, electricity operators and IT systems. The strategy aims to bring these interests together under one roof within the new ZEVI collaborative initiative under the Department of Transport. The SEAI is pleased to continue to provide its expertise and services to this group in order to deliver on the climate action plan.

The SEAI's work supports the delivery of the climate action plan and Ireland's emissions reduction targets, including transport actions to support businesses, the public sector, and citizens and communities on their transition to low-emissions transport solutions. The SEAI's work is integral to the achievement of major targets and policy objectives and includes promotion of EV uptake towards the national EV target by 2030 via grant support for private and commercial vehicles, information supports, interactive comparative tools, fleet guidance, dealer training and awards, transport energy awards, behavioural change campaigns and EV fleet trials. The national EV target is currently the largest contribution to transport emissions reductions in the Climate Action Plan 2021, with a projected 3.2 Mt CO2 attributed to the target. Promoting vehicle charging solutions availability to homes, businesses and public bodies via grant support for home chargers, apartment chargers, local authority chargers, and destination and community-based chargers is part of our remit. The SEAI's work also involves supporting efficiency and emissions reductions in the public transport fleet - that is, public transport, local authority and other public sector fleets - through our public sector programmes and through supporting business fleet electrification via guidance, case studies and grant support for vehicles and charging. Our work also involves supporting community low-emissions transport initiatives via our sustainable energy community network and community energy grants. The SEAI was a leading agency supporting the work of the low-emissions vehicles task force, which published numerous reports on key activities to drive the adoption of low-emissions vehicles in Ireland. The SEAI is also a member of the electric vehicle policy pathway working group, which presented its report to the Government in 2021. As part of that group, the SEAI behavioural economics team completed a study which outlined the EV customer journey and identified the barriers to be addressed, many of which have been actioned since the report was presented to the Government. The SEAI's work also involves delivering state-of-the-art energy modelling, policy analysis and advice and collating national energy statistics. We drive and support national energy research to support innovative research and development activities in support of national emissions reduction targets.

We passionately believe that the clean energy transition must happen urgently, and we stand ready to support all of Irish society on this journey.

EVs offer one of the most promising and accessible options for reducing tailpipe emissions from road vehicles. Importantly, with an ambition and capability of producing 80% of our electricity from our own renewable energy resources, we have the opportunity of removing our dependence on imported energy and stabilising our own transport energy costs into the future. Electrifying the transport fleet will complement the growth in renewable electricity by providing a mechanism to store the electricity and eventually provide electricity back to the network to provide support to the network when needed. Operating the number of electric vehicles desired by 2030 will require comprehensive and reliable charging infrastructure options and, importantly, will require intelligent management of vehicle charging via the home and via a smart grid. The SEAI is ready to support the deployment of this infrastructure, develop new tools and methods to maximise this opportunity and carefully guide the public with the necessary information to make their change to electric vehicles go as smoothly as possible. We thank our colleagues in the Department of Transport for their support for our transport programmes and close collaboration. I welcome discussion with the committee, and my colleague and I are happy to answer any questions members may wish to raise.