Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 September 2022
138. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Transport if a grant can be made available for the purchase of an electrical vehicle valued in excess of €60,000 particularly for motorists who need to travel long distances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44626/22]
View answerElectric vehicles (EVs) are the most prominent transport mitigation measure in the 2021 Climate Action Plan and Ireland has set an ambitious target of 945,000 EVs on our roads by 2030. This target is challenging but indicates the scale of the transformation that is needed across all sectors if Ireland is to achieve its climate targets in the coming years.
As the Deputy will be aware, 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 with over 64,700 EVs registered in the State at the end of July.
In addition, the Department convened the Electric Vehicle Policy Pathway (EVPP) Working Group to produce a roadmap to achieving the 2030 EV target. In particular, the group examined the optimum mix of regulatory, taxation and subsidy policies. The recommendations of the EVPP Working Group were approved by Government and the full report is available online.
In line with the Group’s recommendations to support the transition to EVs:
- The generous suite of EV supports has been retained until at least end-2022.
- Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) was launched in July, a new office to co-ordinate the implementation of existing and future EV measures and infrastructure.
A cross-departmental Implementation Committee has been established to progress the recommendations contained in the EVPP report and is due to report on its progress to Government in Q4 of this year.
The Government provides up to €5,000 towards purchase of new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and a grant eligibility price cap of €60,000 applies. The price cap was introduced to direct funding away from the luxury car market and towards lowered priced vehicles. There are no plans to remove this cap at present. However as part of the ZEVI launch in July, I announced that an expansion of the current electric vans grant is in development which will include large panel vans. Large panel vans with a price of €90,000 or less will be eligible for this grant.
Overall, the Department is acutely aware that the cost of electric vehicles remains an issue for many consumers. To this end, electric vehicle policy is kept under continuous review in an effort to make low-emission vehicles affordable.
