Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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262. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to review the grant scheme for taxi operators to buy EVs, as the current scheme is unworkable for many due to their inability to access loans to finance new EVs. [37562/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Electric Small Public Service Vehicle (eSPSV) Grant Scheme is in place to support the greening of the SPSV, or taxi, sector. It is aimed at improving air quality in urban areas, reducing the CO2 emissions of a sector which typically has very high mileage, and also can positively influence the uptake of zero emission passenger cars by improving general perception and awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles.

The SPSV industry is regarded as a champion in the normalisation of electric vehicle use. The Scheme is funded by the Department of Transport and administered by NTA acting as agents of the Department with delegated authority and as the licensing authority for SPSVs. Since its launch in February 2018, the eSPSV Grant Scheme has supported over 1,700 SPSV drivers in purchasing electric vehicles. €15m has been allocated to the Scheme in 2023 to enable owners of small public service vehicles, such as taxis, hackneys and limousines, to buy electric vehicles.

The scheme will be reviewed ahead of the opening of a 2024 launch to assess the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting the uptake of electric vehicles among Small Public Service Vehicle operators in Ireland.