Results 3,921-3,940 of 11,413 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: What number of EVs do we expect to be sold this year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is still less than the 50,000 that we expected last year.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: The numbers are accumulating every year. Are we assuming that all of the 77,000 cars that are on the road now will still be on the road in 2025, that none of them will be written off or taken off the road for whatever reason? What percentage of those 77,000, some of which are several years old, does the SEAI expect to still be on the road in 2025?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is the average life.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That would say some will last up to 15 years, but others might last for only five years.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: In any given year, regardless of the model - electric or internal combustion engine - whatever number of cars are sold, a certain percentage of them will still not be on the road five years later for a myriad of different reasons. Has Mr. Meally factored in how many of those will be taken off the road and impact on the target figure of 175,000?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Is there not also a question in terms of the long-term viability of electric cars? We do not yet know precisely what the real life terms will be, in particular for batteries.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: I will ask just one final question. The 2030 target was originally 1 million. Many people were sceptical about it. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, said he thought it would be a lesser number in the updated plan but it had not been finalised. In the end, the big change that was made was that the word "almost" was inserted prior to 1 million. Was the SEAI consulted in respect of what the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: The numbers are nowhere close to where the Department thought it would be.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: How many of them were hybrid?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: What is the percentage in terms of battery-only?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: What was the percentage of the total sales of electric-only vehicles?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Okay. I will come back in again if there is enough time.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: I want to go back to EVs and the fact that I believe the targets are being missed wildly. I mention what Dr. O'Grady said about most people never owning a new car in their lives and the fact that the funding for this is coming from the carbon tax, as the Cathaoirleach said. That is a big bugbear for many of my constituents who are on low incomes and have no choice but to use their car, and...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: To €60,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: We are not meeting them anyway.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: You are trying to, but you are not. We have asked for this comprehensive analysis to be carried out. We have two different sets of targets. One is to reduce car journeys. A second set of targets is in respect of making a shift for those people who have to use their cars to electric vehicles. I contend that both are at cross-purposes because the people who are being subsidised to switch...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is where the obscenity continues. As I said last year when the SEAI was before us, it is adding insult to injury. The Government is expecting the person who I was dealing with this week, who did not know how they were going to get their car fixed, and who was going to be in huge turmoil if they did not, to be charged every single journey they make, and those Government charges are...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Why are there no grants for second-hand purchases of EVs? That would actually support those people on lower incomes in some way.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Discussion (9 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Because the Department is not meeting its targets in this respect.