Written answers

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Climate Action Plan

Photo of Carol NolanCarol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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807. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he remains committed to introducing a ban on the sale of fossil-fuelled internal combustion engine cars and to have 840,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030; if his attention has been drawn to the fact there is a significant gap between EU emission reduction targets for cars and emission reduction targets contained within the Climate Action Plan 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8517/20]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Government is fully committed to introducing a ban on the sale of fossil-fuelled internal combustion engine cars and to the targets set out in the Climate Action Plan for electric and low emissions vehicles by 2030. The transition to alternatively-fuelled vehicles and away from fossil-fuelled vehicles is a necessary step-change to effect a substantial reduction in transport greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the passenger car fleet which accounts for 52% of transport emissions, or approximately 10% of Ireland’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions.

The Climate Action Plan sets out a pathway for the uptake of electric vehicles over the next decade based on analysis prepared by consultants to identify key emissions abatement technologies.  That analysis concludes that the most cost-effective abatement opportunities for transport are in its electrification. It is widely expected that, over the next number of years, the combination of improvements in technology, reductions in vehicle purchase prices, increasing driving ranges and model availabilities, coupled with Government incentives and new investment in the recharging network will maintain the current positive policy environment under which electric vehicle sales have risen steeply in recent years, albeit from a low base.

The Climate Action Plan therefore sets targets for electric and low emissions vehicles by 2030 as follows:

- Increasing the number of passenger EVs on the road to 840,000 (split between 550,000 BEVs and 290,000 PHEVs)

- Reaching 95,000 electric vans and trucks

- Procuring 1,200 low-emissions buses for public transport in cities

Critically, the Plan expects the bulk of the shift to EVs (and the resulting emissions reduction) to occur in the second half of the next decade, when prices have fallen in line with technology development, and purchasing behaviour patterns have changed. These targets are challenging but indicative of the scale of the transformation required if Ireland is to reach its legally binding emission ceilings in future years.

Achieving the Climate Action Plan targets will likely require a suite of policy and regulatory interventions at national and EU level.  Action 79 of the Climate Action Plan committed to the development of a roadmap on the optimum mix of regulatory, taxation and subsidy policies to drive significant ramp-up in passenger EVs and electric van sales from very early in the next decade.  To meet this commitment, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has established an Electric Vehicle Optimum Policy Pathway Group in which my Department is participating. I understand this group expects to conclude its work and report to Government in Q3 2020.

The General Scheme of the Climate Action (Amendment) Bill, approved by Government on 17 December 2019, proposes to include a provision to ban the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030 and to stop the granting of NCTs by 2045 to address the commitments in the Climate Action Plan. Work on the drafting of this legislation is ongoing in my Department.

There is no inconsistency between EU emission reduction targets for cars and emission reduction targets contained within the Climate Action Plan.  Since 2009, EU legislation sets mandatory emission reduction targets for all new passenger cars and vans registered in the EU. The legislation is the cornerstone of the EU’s strategy to improve vehicle fuel economy and has driven car manufacturers to develop innovative energy efficient technologies. The regulations have iteratively been made more stringent, progressively decreasing EU fleet-wide average emissions along with increasing the availability of lower emission vehicles across the EU.

In relation to the coming decade, Regulation (EU) 2019/631 sets CO2 emission performance standards to ensure that, by 2025 and 2030, the average emissions from new cars will be 15% and 37.5% lower, respectively, compared to 2021 levels.  The Regulation is also structured to incentivise manufacturers to increase the production of zero- and low-emission vehicles.

Achievement of these targets by manufactures will make an important contribution to both the EU and individual Member State emissions reductions targets for 2030. Due to the absence of vehicle manufacturing here, Ireland will remain strongly dependent on continued action at an EU level in this respect.  Notwithstanding this, Member States may introduce additional domestic policies and measures and impose more ambitious targets for specific sectors. The Climate Action Plan adopted by Government imposes specific and differentiated targets for individual sectors, based on an analysis of the most cost-effective split of emissions reductions across the economy in order to meet Ireland's emissions reduction targets for the 2021 - 2030 period. The Plan targets a 45% - 50% reduction in transport sector emissions by 2030 relative to existing projections.

The new European Green Deal proposes that, by June 2021, the Commission will revise the legislation on CO2 emission performance standards for cars and vans, to ensure a clear pathway from 2025 onwards towards zero-emission mobility.

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