EV switch ‘biggest step’ most drivers can take to hit climate goals, committee hears

According to the Climate Change Advisory Council, transport is the largest source of energy demand in Ireland. : Danny Lawson/PA Wire

For a majority of motorists, the biggest single contribution they could make to Ireland’s climate targets is switching to an electric vehicle, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

During a meeting of the Oireachtas Climate Committee on how transport shifts can help Ireland meet its goals, Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) Director General Brian Cooke said 2026 will be a “tipping point” for EV take-up in Ireland as thousands of second-hand electric cars enter the market.

According to the Climate Change Advisory Council, transport is the largest source of energy demand in Ireland, and emissions from the sector must be halved by 2030 to meet the carbon budget, with EV adoption identified as a key step on that path.

“Over 20,000 EVs sold in 2023 will become three years old next year, and many of these, in particular company cars or cars financed by PCP, will be coming to the used car market next year,” Mr Cooke said.

“Any support for used EVs, which could be based on a household income threshold, could potentially bring a wider constituency to the EV market.” 

However, Labour climate spokesperson Ciarán Ahern said it was “fundamentally incorrect” to claim that buying an EV was the single biggest contribution an individual could make.

“The single biggest thing they can do is move to a more sustainable form of transport,” he said, adding that this misunderstanding is one reason Ireland has struggled to significantly cut transport emissions.

In response, Mr Cooke said that for most people it isn’t realistic to stop driving altogether, and in that context, switching to an EV is among the most environmentally responsible choices they can make. He said this view is supported by experts both in Ireland and internationally.

“If you look at the climate action plans, the various versions of it so the biggest amount of investment is actually in public transport,” he said. “But that’s not going to deliver enough between now and 2030, and we have to do everything that’s in those plans.” 

Speaking on the same topic, Fuels for Ireland CEO Kevin McPartlan agreed that a modal shift towards public and active transport would be most effective, but acknowledged it is not feasible for everyone.

“I came in here from the suburbs of Dublin,” he said. “My mother in north Cork doesn’t have all the options. We have to promote a modal shift as a first alternative, but we accept there are people who continue to use private transport as well as the essential haulage sector.

“We can either leave those sectors emitting as they are or do something about it.”

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