Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The number of battery electric vehicles, BEVs, and plugin hybrid electric vehicles, PHEVs, in the national fleet is estimated to be 2,970, with 2,300 new EVs bought and registered in Ireland and 670 EVs imported into the State. Since 2015, there has been a steady growth in EVs, with 2017 to date seeing a 25% increase in EV registrations to 529. Of these, 151 are PHEVs while the remaining 378 are BEVs.

The EV grant scheme provides grant aid of up to €5,000 towards the purchase of a new BEV or PHEV and is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. The scheme is kept under review and will continue throughout 2017 with an allocation of €5 million. Additionally, vehicle registration tax reliefs of up to €5,000 apply to EVs.

Budget 2017 extended vehicle registration tax reliefs on PHEVs to the end of 2018 and on BEVs to 2021. To date SEAI has paid out 2,159 grants amounting to a total value of €10.2 million.

My Department and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport are co-chairing a low-emission vehicles, LEV, taskforce involving relevant Government Departments and agencies. In respect of electric vehicles, the topics being examined include market growth potential and public leadership, and policy levers to stimulate this growth. A holistic Government approach is essential to establishing the right framework for the long-term development of the market. I also plan to introduce, in conjunction with the SEAI, an electric vehicle driver experience programme which will encompass a pilot electric vehicle car sharing scheme, an electric vehicle roadshow, and commercial fleet trials.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

There is a range of factors that are accepted internationally as being barriers to the widespread early transition to EV technology including limited vehicle choice, range anxiety, low consumer acceptance and awareness. The transition being slower than anticipated is not specific to Ireland and does not reflect a national lack of ambition or policy support. Given that the Government supported EV grant scheme is demand-led, I do not believe that it is appropriate to set annual targets for EV uptake.

It is clear that a lot of change has occurred in this space. In 2011, when the EV grant programme began, only two types of vehicle were available in Ireland, while today there are 25 unique models for Irish consumers to choose from which are all available on the grant scheme. Technical issues such as range anxiety, which would have greatly dissuaded consumers a number of years ago, are being resolved through technology development in the area of batteries and fast chargers. It should also be noted that we have had considerable achievement in certain respects. For example, unlike other countries, such as the UK or France, we have a single entity operating the nationwide EV charging network which enables Irish consumers to access the EV charging infrastructure easily throughout the country. 

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