Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
247. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the programme for Government commitment to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37274/23]
View answerThe new target under the Climate Action Plan is to have 30% of our private car fleet switched to electric by 2030 (i.e. 845,000 private EV target).
The key change is instead of simply targeting a minimum number of cars, we are focused more on making a large amount of the overall private car fleet electric. The 2023 Climate Action Plan places electric vehicles within a greater framework of our national transport infrastructure, with a focus on other sustainable methods of transport other than private car ownership.
Fleet electrification is expected to continue to provide the greatest share of emissions abatement in the short-to-medium term. Detailed modelling was undertaken to inform the Transport chapter of the Climate Action Plan 2023, which considered 2025 and 2030 scenarios as reference years, in accordance with the carbon budget programmes. Fleet forecasts have been estimated using the Irish Car Fleet Model that assesses the impact of new vehicle technologies on carbon emissions. The model predicts how the proportion of fuel types (petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric) within the fleet will change over time using observed vehicle registration and scrappage rates by age and fuel type.
The new EU Regulation on CO2 Emissions for Cars and Lights Vans, which was finalised in March 2023, is crucial part of the Transport Sector’s transition to carbon neutrality. Emissions from road transport constitute the single largest portion of overall transport emissions and therefore tackling this is central to achieving our overall targets. The new Regulation accelerates the timeframes for zero emissions for cars and light vans, introducing 2035 as the year by which there must be 100% CO2 reduction in both new cars and vans. Ireland is among a number of more ambitious Member States that argued for more stringent targets, calling for the end to the ICE sales by 2030. However, in order to secure agreement amongst all Member States and with the European Parliament, the date of 2035 was agreed.
At the behest of Ireland and other ambitious Member States, the CION will present a proposal to allow those MSs that wish to do so to introduce more ambitious domestic targets than contained in the Reg, to allow them to set earlier dates for the ending of the supply of ICE vehicles. This is expected to be ready in 2024.
The Government has already committed significant funding to support low emitting vehicles through the National Development Plan, which currently includes an allocation of almost €500 million for the period 2021-2025 and additional support from the Climate Action Fund. This funding includes both capital grants to support the purchase of EVs and capital funding for the delivery of EV charging infrastructure.
In July 2022, I launched a new dedicated Office, Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, which will oversee and accelerate Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles. A suite of new of grants and initiatives have been launched with further information available at: www.gov.ie/zevi
Further funding has been allocated in 2023 to ensure the continued transition to electric vehicles. This underpins the Government’s commitment to making electric vehicles accessible to all. This funding will continue to incentivise the switch to electric vehicles as well as enabling the expansion of a fast and rapid electric vehicle charging network to stay ahead of demand.
There are currently over 102,000 EVs registered on Irish roads (end August 2023). That number is expected to increase as the price of EVs continue to fall relative to their combustion engine equivalents. It is expected that as manufacturers increasingly ramp up EV production, upfront costs will become more comparable to traditional combustion engine cars within the next number of years. This will make total cost of ownership much more attractive and competitive, particularly given fuel prices trends. There is also far more choice available across all major car manufacturers and this is driving increased competition on price.
