Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

The Government has set a target of 10% of all vehicles to be powered by electricity by 2020, which equates to around 225,000 vehicles.

Electric vehicles are an increasingly realistic option to the challenge of reducing the transport sector's greenhouse gas emissions and reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels. There is now very significant global investment under way in research and development in this area. The technology is maturing to a point where large scale commercial deployment appears feasible in the short to medium term. There is keen interest internationally in Ireland's decision to be an early mover in this field. Ireland is seen as an excellent test-bed, particularly in terms of network infrastructure development.

In the European Union context, electric vehicles are now firmly on the EU energy policy agenda. We agreed at the informal meeting of energy Ministers in Seville last January that electric vehicles technology and common standards should be progressed by the European Union as part of delivery of energy efficient and low carbon systems.

Reflecting these discussions, the Commission is currently finalising a policy communication on green vehicles, which will be published shortly.

The Energy Council of Ministers has also recently agreed to the inclusion of electric vehicles as a priority technology sector under the strategic energy technology plan. ESB, through its membership of Eurelectric, is also playing a leading role in work by European utilities and car manufacturers to progress essential technical standardisation across Europe.

On 12 April last I signed an agreement with the Renault Nissan alliance and ESB which underpins Ireland as one of the European leaders in electric transport. The agreement, building on the memorandum of understanding last year, includes the development of a national electric car charging infrastructure, the continued sharing of technical and market data between the parties and the early supply of electric cars into the Irish market by Renault and Nissan from next year.

Under the agreement, ESB will roll out 1,500 charge points nationwide by December 2011. The roll-out has already begun in Dublin and charging points will also be installed in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. ESB also plans to install 30 fast charge points across Ireland by the end of 2011, with nine expected to be set up by the end of this year.

Progress has been made in discussions with other major motor manufacturers to make early production vehicles available to the Irish market and I expect that other agreements will be developed in the foreseeable future.

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