Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
302. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the plans that his Department has as of September 2022 to introduce a petrol and diesel vehicle scrappage scheme; if so, the estimated cost of such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44133/22]
View answerPassenger cars account for over half of all land transport emissions in Ireland; therefore, a transition to low and zero emission cars is one of the necessary changes if Ireland is to substantially reduce its transport emissions. Accordingly, electric vehicles are a prominent mitigation measure in the Climate Action Plan and Ireland has set an ambitious target of nearly one million EVs on our roads by 2030.
The Electric Vehicle Policy Pathway (EVPP) Working Group produced a report detailing a roadmap to achieving the 2030 EV target in September 2021. The EVPP Working Group comprised senior officials and considered regulatory, financial, and taxation policies to help drive a significant ramp-up in passenger EVs and electric van sales. Scrappage schemes were discussed as part of these considerations. The Working Group concluded that a general scrappage scheme would entail significant additional costs and as such was not recommended; however, the Group concluded that niche markets scrappage schemes could potentially play an important role, such as the SPSV sector. There is currently a scrappage scheme in place for this sector administered by the NTA.
Overall, considerable progress has been made in supporting citizens to make greener vehicle choices. A comprehensive suite of measures is available to EV drivers, including purchase grants for private car owners and taxi drivers, VRT relief, reduced tolls, home charger grants, favourable motor and BIK tax rates, as well as a comprehensive charging network. These measures have collectively contributed to increased take up of EVs in Ireland in recent years.
