As I indicated to the Deputy in my response to the question referred to of November last, I was delighted to secure funding as part of Budget 2018 to help encourage the transition of our SPSV (Taxi/Hackney/Limousine) sector to electric vehicles. This sector can play a vital role in championing the use of electric vehicles to members of the public and in reducing harmful tailpipe emissions, particularly across our urban areas.
The electric SPSV grant scheme was launched on February 1st and is administered on behalf of my Department by the National Transport Authority (NTA), as was signalled in my response to the Deputy's previous question.
This scheme is available nationwide to all eligible SPSV drivers, and supports both new and second hand electric vehicles. Applications for the grant should be made directly to the National Transport Authority (NTA).
Further details of the electric SPSV grant scheme, including the application form and supporting grant scheme guidance documents are available to download from the NTA website (www.nationaltransport.ie).