{"id":23797,"date":"2021-11-04T17:57:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T21:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23797"},"modified":"2021-11-05T10:01:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T14:01:35","slug":"varadkar-governments-plan-for-one-million-electric-vehicles-on-road-by-2030-is-difficult-to-achieve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23797","title":{"rendered":"Varadkar: Government’s Plan For One Million Electric Vehicles On Road By 2030 Is ‘Difficult To Achieve’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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15% of new vehicles bought in Ireland are electric (PA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Government has admitted its plan to have one million electric vehicles on Ireland\u2019s roads by 2030 will be difficult to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said that currently some 15 per cent of new vehicles bought in the State are electric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he expects to see that \u201caccelerate rapidly\u201d in the next two to three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the Government\u2019s Climate Action Plan, it aims to introduce 845,000 electric cars, 95,000 vans, 3,500 lorries and 1,500 buses, bringing the total number of electric vehicles on the road to 945,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

T\u00e1naiste Leo Varadkar said: \u201cIt is a high target and to reach a million electric vehicles by 2030 is going to be something that\u2019s difficult to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s important to say that it\u2019s not a million electric cars. It\u2019s not a million private electric vehicles. It\u2019s the total number of electric vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe might have to do better on the work vehicle vans than we do the on the private vehicle side. But that\u2019s the target, it\u2019s the two together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing I think we\u2019ve all seen is that when a technology takes off, it really takes off. Think of smartphones. Very few people have them and then within a few years everyone had them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State will also play its role in contributing to the number of electric vehicles, the T\u00e1naiste said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Ryan also acknowledged it is an ambitious plan, but said the number of people buying electric vehicles is growing \u201cfaster\u201d than people expected three years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you measure the fuel cost over the lifetime of the vehicle and the maintenance cost, it\u2019s a fraction of what it would be with the combustion engine,\u201d Mr Ryan added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he expects to see a \u201cradical change\u201d in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat more will we do? Firstly, the current grant systems are very generous, it\u2019s up to \u20ac10,000,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are further measures introduced in the budget in terms of evolving change in the VRT system, that actually gives a further very significant incentive to switch, particularly from the larger big SUV fossil fuel vehicles towards an electric alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said it will review the grant system to purchase electric vehicles to \u201cbridge\u201d the gap between what people can afford and the purchase price of the vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Martin said the Government wants to make it \u201ca realizable prospect\u201d for workers and the public to purchase an electric vehicle.<\/p>\n

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