Irish Examiner view: Still some bumps in the road with electric vehicles

Dozens of countries and companies, including Ireland, yesterday signed a declaration to end the production of fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2040 at the latest, which is to be welcomed. 

However, the absence of heavy-hitters such as China, the US, and Germany from the agreement shows the road ahead is long.

Closer to home, the Government has set an ambitious, some might say unrealistic, target of 1m electric cars on the roads by 2030. 

When you consider there are 45,000 electric vehicles (EVs) currently in circulation, with the most optimistic industry projections showing sales will double next year to add another 15,000, you begin to see the scale of the challenges ahead.

On the positive side, there is growing public interest in, and appetite for, hybrid and electric cars. Sales of EVs have doubled this year and will double again next year.

A survey by the AA yesterday found a third of motorists who currently drive a petrol or diesel car plan to switch. The vast majority of those who have made the electric leap say they won’t go back.

There are still bumps in the road. While the majority of those surveyed are willing to move from petrol or diesel, there is a reluctance to go fully electric. 

Those who intend to change are three times more likely to pick a hybrid vehicle than a full EV. The most common factors in choosing not to buy an EV were the high price (67%), worries about the range (46%), fear that charging takes too long (31%), and the lack of regular access to a charge point (30%).

According to AA spokesperson Lauren Beehan: 

The price of a new EV is still a major stumbling block for drivers, and many expressed concerns about the small size of the second-hand market in Ireland so far.

Ironically, the AA survey found two-thirds of the 8,241 motorists surveyed drive less than 200km a week, well within the range of most EVs.

Carmakers have signed the death warrant for diesel and petrol engines. Governments have started banning them. Advances in battery technology now ensure EVs meet most of the demands of everyday life. The choice is greater. But roadblocks remain.

Look back over previous surveys, including those from the AA, and the same issues come up time and time again. 

Prices will come down as manufacturers ramp up production, but in the interim, governments have to do more to incentivise motorists to put their hands in their pockets. The move to scrap grants for plug-in hybrids was a retrograde step.

They also have to make it quick and easy for motorists to pull up, plug in, and charge their cars.

The charging network has to be upgraded, grants for home charging points extended, and incentives offered to companies to allow employees charge their cars at work.

There is an onus on manufacturers also to fund a universal, straightforward guide to EVs to once and for all address fears about range, reliability, and arguments about climate and economic sense. 

Only then will we have the chance of reaching those lofty targets.