Written answers
Thursday, 9 September 2021
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
Electric Vehicles
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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163. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number and value of electric vehicle grants provided over the past five years by hybrid and fully electric, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42877/21]
Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Providing a sustainable, low-carbon transport system is a key priority of my Department. The Programme for Government commits to 7% average annual emissions reduction to 2030; ultimately, the goal is for a zero-emission mobility system by 2050. The national car and van fleet accounts for almost 60% of all land transport emissions, and so a transition to low emissions vehicles, including
EVs, is a necessary step-change to effect a substantial reduction in transport emissions.
An overview of the number and value of EV grants provided over the past five years by hybrid and fully electric is set out in the following table:
| - | BEV | BEV | PHEV | PHEV | Yearly Total (BEV + PHEV) | Yearly Total (BEV + PHEV) | Actual Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Value | Number | Value | Number | Value | ||
| 2016 | 353 | €1,711,000 | 278 | €1,294,000 | 631 | €3,005,000 | €3,038,800 |
| 2017 | 626 | €2,980,000 | 358 | €1,653,200 | 984 | €4,633,200 | €4,262,000 |
| 2018 | 1907 | €8,577,400 | 879 | €4,191,000 | 2786 | €12,768,400 | €9,133,600 |
| 2019 | 3318 | €14,791,200 | 1410 | €6,810,000 | 4728 | €21,601,200 | €20,833,800 |
| 2020 | 2654 | €12,901,600 | 2231 | €11,007,400 | 4885 | €23,909,000 | €23,511,800 |
| 2021 | 3372 | €16,153,200 | 4356 | €20,971,800 | 7728 | €37,125,000 | €42,531,400 |
| Total | 12230 | €57,114,400 | 9512 | €45,927,400 | 21,742 | €103,041,800 | €103,311,400 |
It should be noted that the numbers and values for 2021 are correct as of 31/08/2021.
In addition, the EV Purchase Grant Scheme has recently been updated to support the most efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles on the market. Support in the form of government funding is being refocused to prioritise battery electric cars. Grants for these EVs continue at a rate of €5000. From the 1st of July 2021, the value of the purchase grant for PHEVs changed from €5,000 to €2,500. It is likely that the signalling of this change contributed to an increase in PHEV applications in the first half of this year which is reflected in the above table.
The SEAI grant scheme aims to encourage behavioural change and support the Government’s commitment to achieving a 51% reduction in transport emissions by 2030. The grant schemes are kept under continuous review to ensure that they are as effective as possible in driving the decarbonisation effort. The update to the scheme is in line with the wider policy approach being taken by other EU Member States due to the increasing recognition that PHEV emissions in the ‘real world’ are often higher than ‘official’ emission levels.
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