Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 13 July 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Reduction of Carbon Emissions of 51% by 2030: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Pierpaolo Cazzola:

I agree with the fact that electric vehicles have a lower life cycle impact than PHEVs and plug-in hybrids. To the extent which plug-in hybrids are not used for electric driving, policy action can address the way all-electric driving in plug-in hybrids is actually measured. The test values lean towards a high share of all-electric driving. If the share of all-electric driving from testing is revised, it can better reflect the performance of plug-in hybrids. That has implications on the types of subsidies they would get, for example, once we have different rates of taxation based on grant subsidies per kilometre.

Other policies can maximise all-electric driving of PHEVs. They are related to similar technologies that would allow for pricing and have to do with geofencing. One can, therefore, essentially enforce all-electric driving in cities, for example. People will have to charge to ensure that they can access cities. That, therefore, requires smart policy developments on the side of the geofencing.

There are also impacts, which I think should be mentioned, on resource efficiency. The fact is that a hybrid has a smaller battery for a commute and can ensure all-electric driving. There are also impacts on jobs. Due to the transition, the battery hybrid still uses a combustion engine. This is less relevant for Ireland. A transition needs to happen in vehicle manufacturing and a PHEV, in a way, can help dealing with that. There are pros and cons but I wanted to flag that this is part of the equation. I would not keep it completely out. That has impacts on jobs.