Just 47,000 electric cars sold leaving Government well off 1m target by 2030 

Concern has been raised that there aren’t sufficient charging points across the country to sustain a larger electric car fleet. Picture: John Keeble/Getty Images

Just 47,000 electric cars have been sold in total in Ireland so far, despite a target of one million cars by 2030.

Latest figures from Transport Minister Eamon Ryan show just 15,370 electric cars entered the national fleet in 2021; nonetheless, the Government is still insisting the market “will take off like a rocket” once public confidence grows.

The data released shows that the five counties with the most sales of electric cars are Dublin, Cork, and the three commuter counties of Kildare, Wicklow, and Meath.

Concern has been raised that there aren’t sufficient charging points to sustain a larger electric car fleet. 

Mr Ryan’s predecessor Fine Gael’s Richard Bruton has said the response from local councils across the country has been “very disappointing” in terms of the number of charging points they have installed.

Mr Bruton told the Irish Examiner: “They (councils) have completely ignored the problem in their area. They need to take their responsibility more seriously. They don’t see it as their business.”

He said he is confident that the sales of purely electric vehicles will soar once that confidence grows and that a “tipping point” will be crossed which will see that one million car target by 2030 achieved.

In the short term, we need to create that infrastructure. It will suddenly take off, and the likely impact on tax revenues will have to be considered.

“The big thing will be on the main routes up and down the country," Mr Bruton said. "People will need to access quick charge points on the main routes and also people who don’t have access to points in their neighbourhood. 

"You are beginning to see more charging points.

“For example, people travelling from Cork to Dublin need to be offered spaces to charge easily, they are not being offered currently,” the former minister said.

He said that he himself drives a hybrid as, given the journeys he has to undertake as a politician, it is “not practical” to drive a pure electric car yet.

Mr Ryan said that during 2021 more than €70m was provided in grants to support the purchase of electric cars. This represented almost a doubling of supports to EVs in 2020, he said.

“As a result, the EV percentage of overall car registrations has increased significantly this year and represented over 15% to end November 2021," Mr Ryan said.

"The target for electric vehicles is set for 2030. Analysts have provided modelled scenarios to government to provide information as to how this target could be reached year on year. 

Considering these scenarios, Ireland is currently on track as regards projected uptake of EVs in the fleet.

Under the National Development Plan, the total budget for decarbonising transport (EVs and EV infrastructure) to 2025 is in the region of €500m, with €100m available in 2022.

The 2022 funds of €100m will provide grants for passenger vehicles, taxis , heavy duty vehicles, home charging infrastructure, and publicly accessible charging infrastructure.

To support EV uptake in 2022, it is estimated that about €65m in funds will again be provided for capital grants for Battery EVs (BEVs). 

The remainder of the €100m will be targeted towards grants for vans, trucks, buses, taxis/small public service vehicles (SPSVs) and infrastructure provision.