Government target of 950,000 EVs by 2030 branded 'nonsensical'
Some 1,441 electric vehicles were sold in the month of June according to Geotab vice president for Ireland and the UK, David Savage.
The Government's strategy to have 950,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2030 is "nonsensical" without the removal of barriers in the secondhand UK market, a leading expert has said.
Editor of IrishEVs.com, Tom Spencer, said sales figures released this week show that while the number of EV sales has risen significantly compared to previous years, it is completely out of line with the government's targets for 2030.
According to Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi) figures for June, 1,441 new EVs were registered compared to 188 in June 2022. So far this year 14,307 new electric cars have been registered in comparison to 8,446 in the same period last year, Simi said.
Car fleet tech management firm Geotab said using those figures, it is highly unlikely that the 950,000 Government target will be met.
Geotab vice president for Ireland and the UK, David Savage, said: "Even though 1,441 EVs were sold during the month of June, the only way the target could be reached is if 12,000 EVs were purchased every month — the equivalent of the entire car market switching to electric vehicles overnight."
Mr Spencer echoed Geotab's reading of the transition from petrol and diesel cars and vans to EVs.
He said: "The upcoming restrictions on the grants for electric cars are likely to reduce this further.
"Given that Ireland has continually failed to meet its emissions targets, and that the cost-of-living crisis means even the cheapest EVs are unaffordable for the majority, it is time that the Government removed the unnecessary vehicle registration tax (VRT) and Vat imports on second hand electric cars from the UK.
"This would kickstart the secondhand EV market in Ireland by providing a massive reduction in cost to purchase, allowing more people to benefit from the lower running costs that EVs offer, while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
"It is nonsensical that the Government hasn't addressed this before now and that it continues to evade questions about this obvious solution."
Before Brexit, the secondhand market in the UK proved a fertile stomping ground for Irish motorists who, even allowing for VRT, were able to save thousands of euro on high-end models as well as a wide range of family-sized cars.
Since the protracted Brexit deal was implemented, second-hand sales from the UK have fallen off a cliff, with Irish motorists put off by the extra bureaucracy and payments that would cancel out the savings they would have made previously.
Meanwhile, new EVs in Ireland remain prohibitively expensive for many families, while second-hand cars are also far higher in price than in previous years due to inflation and a squeeze on supply.
Mr Spencer said slashing VRT and Vat for UK imports of EVs could be offset elsewhere if implemented.
"I'm always conscious that the question against removing income through VRT and Vat is to ask how we will address the shortfall for taxpayers.
"For me this comes down to an issue of cost versus value.
"It might cost us more to remove VRT and Vat on imported EVs in the short-term, but there will be unseen benefits for lowering HSE costs as air pollution improves and, while the public purse strings might be tightened, it has the potential to pass on savings directly to the people of Ireland who need help the most during the cost-of-living crisis.
"If we can afford the cost of still subsidising fossil fuels to the tune of €2.2bn - and impact that they have on public and planetary health — then we can afford the value of removing a limitation to EV adoption for those who simply can't afford to buy a new car, regardless of the subsidies that might be available," he said.
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