There is a worrying downward trend in the sales of electric vehicles so far this year with the latest figures showing a 25 per cent drop from January to July compared to the same period in 2023.
The Government has an ambitious target of one million electric vehicles on Irish roads by 2030, but just 12,765 were registered in the first seven months of this year, representing 14 per cent of all car sales, down from 18 per cent last year. The removal of fossil fuel cars from roads will be crucial if Ireland is to meet its EU-mandated obligations to reduce total CO2 emissions by at least 42 per cent by 2030. There is no prospect of reaching this target without significant changes to the transport sector, which accounts for 21.4 per cent of emissions.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ireland is currently on target to reduce emissions by just 9 per cent by 2030 and even if extra measures are introduced this will rise to 25 per cent, still well short of the target.
A crisis of confidence among buyers in EVs needs to be addressed both by manufacturers and through Government policy which makes them financially attractive. Clearer information on the benefits of EVs is also important. And, crucially, drivers need to be confident on the availability of charging points.
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Of course, an increase in the number of EVs will only be effective in reducing CO2 emissions, if the electricity used to service these cars comes from renewable sources. There has been a steady increase over the past decade and last year a total of 42 per cent of electricity came from renewable sources. But there has to be a significant ramp up on this amount to the end of the decade if the challenging targets are to be met.
These interlinked issues of changing public habits and increasing the availability of renewable energy are at the heart of Ireland’s energy transition. It is worrying, in this context, that Irish car buyers are voting with their wallets. Hopes that early-adapters of EVs would be followed by the mainstream market are now in doubt.