Latest news with #ClimateChangeAdvisoryCouncil
Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on EV sales: acceleration needed
Prices drive car sales. It's a self-evident truth, proven by numerous scrappage schemes, and the 2008 move to an emissions-based motor tax regime. So, a grant of up to €10,000 applied to electric cars would push the volumes towards the critical 16 per cent of vehicle stock, where research shows mass-market adoption is achieved. By the end of last year, Irish EV market adoption stood at 3 per cent. The proposed grant is one of the most eye-catching proposals in the Climate Change Advisory Council's latest annual review on transport. It cogently identifies the key hurdles to EV adoption: cost and charging infrastructure. On the cost side, it suggests a targeted grant scheme of up to €10,000, aimed specifically at lower income households in areas poorly served by public transport. However, the devil would be in the detail. Execution may prove complex, and administratively burdensome. Also, the range of new EVs within the proposed €35,000 price cap remains limited. Still, it reflects the need for innovative thinking. France, for example, offered 50,000 European-built EVs leased at €100 per month to low-income households. The scheme closed in January last year after just six weeks due to the high demand. Initially capped at 25,000 vehicles, subsidised to a maximum of €13,000 each, it had more than 90,000 applications. READ MORE For any consumer who finds an affordable EV option, the next big question is about charging. The report rightly highlights our poor performance compared to EU peers on public charging infrastructure. It identifies key sticking points, such as deploying neighbourhood charging for those without access to off-street parking. The council's review correctly identifies the key obstacles to EV adoption, and a €10,000 grant scheme, targeted at lower-income drivers, would supercharge sales. But without detail, infrastructure and swift Government action, the ambition may stall. Kudos to the council: now it's time for Government to move from recommendations to action.
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Automotive
- Extra.ie
State urged to give €10k grants to encourage electric vehicle switch
Low-income households should be provided with grants of up to €10,000 to make the switch to electric vehicles, the Climate Change Advisory Council has said. Ireland is on course to miss its carbon emission reduction targets for the transport sector, a 50% reduction by 2030, as set out in the Climate Action Plan, exposing the State to substantial EU fines. Transport emissions decreased by just an estimated 1.3% last year, and the Climate Change Advisory Council has now called for urgent Government intervention. Pic: Getty Images The key to delivering emissions reductions in the transport sector is ending its reliance on harmful and expensive fossil fuels, Business Plus reports. An increase in new battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations and the achievement of targets for BEV adoption under the Climate Action Plan must be realised. To drive this forward, the Council has recommended that grants of up to €10,000 (for BEVs with a purchase price of less than €35,000) be provided for lower-income households. Pic: Matt Rakowski/Shutterstock In parallel, there needs to be an accelerated roll-out of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Marie Donnelly, chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council said: 'Transport is Ireland's biggest source of energy demand, and emissions from the sector must reduce by half if the sector is to meet its target. 'Supports should be aimed at increasing affordability and lower emission options, such as a larger grant for new BEVs under €35,000, are necessary to assist the Government to achieve its own targets in this area.'
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Low earners should be given €10k grant to buy electric vehicles in effort to cut emissions — report
Lower earners should be given grants of up to €10,000 to switch to electric vehicles to help Ireland cut its transport emissions, the Climate Change Advisory Council has said. In its annual report on the transport sector, the council said even in the most optimistic scenario, our emissions are expected to significantly exceed targets by 2030, and the Government must act now to turn the tide. 'Transport is Ireland's biggest source of energy demand, and emissions from the sector must reduce by half if the sector is meet its target,' the council's chair Marie Donnelly said. To achieve this, urgent and decisive action must now be taken by Government to end our reliance on fossil fuels and deliver the kind of transformative change that is required in this sector. Ending the reliance on 'harmful and expensive' fossil fuels is key to this, with an increase in new battery electric vehicle registrations needed. It recommended grants of up to €10,000 on electric vehicles costing less than €35,000 for lower-income households, particularly in areas with limited access to public transport. Furthermore, the council said there needed to be an accelerated roll-out of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure alongside an 'ambitious' roll-out of electricity network reinforcement. Separately, it also recommended an expansion of the school transport scheme and wider improvements in public transport services. About one in five journeys are for the purpose of education, with journeys by car resulting in significant air quality issues near schools, increased transport emissions and congestion. 'The Government must shift more of these journeys onto buses, trains, walking and cycling. This will require further funding, a renewed focus on road safety and easier access to sustainable travel options,' it said. Highlighting recent storms such as Darragh and Éowyn, which demonstrated how vulnerable Ireland's transport infrastructure can be, further measures should be taken to reflect the risks we face from extreme weather and climate change. The council said progress in identifying climate risks and vulnerabilities, as well as investment in mitigation measures, had been slower in rail, aviation and maritime sectors. Ms Donnelly added the Government must scale up investment to improve the climate resilience of vulnerable and critical transport infrastructure. Read More Electric vehicles and renewables could wipe out USC-sized chunk of Irish tax income
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
CCAC recommends extra €10k in grants over purchase of EVs
The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) is recommending that the Government provides an additional €10,000 in grants to low income households for the purchase of electric vehicles, particularly in areas with limited access to public transport. It is also calling for scrappage schemes and other transport-related incentives to help accelerate the switch to battery-electric vehicles and decarbonise private transport. The transport sector already accounts for 43% of all energy used in Ireland. However, the sale of highly efficient battery electric vehicles fell by 24% last year, while greenhouse gas emissions reductions from public transport and more efficient cars were effectively wiped out because of the growth in demand for transport. The CCAC is alarmed by these trends, especially since a 50% reduction in transport emissions must be delivered by 2030. Its annual review of the transport sector calls for urgent Government intervention to support sustained emissions reductions and more to be done to encourage people to switch to public transport. It notes that 773,000 primary and post-primary pupils do not have access to the School Transport Scheme; that 50% of students travel to their place of education by car; and that almost one in five car journeys nationwide are for the purpose of education. The council says it strongly supports expanding eligibility for the heavily subsidised school bus scheme as well as greater integration of school transport and public transport services. It is also calling for an expansion of the Safe Routes to School Programme to support the required shift in the sector. According to its report, the total stock of Battery Electric Vehicles on Irish roads at the end of last year was 72,640. This is just 3.05% of the total passenger car fleet. The Climate Change Advisory Council wants existing incentives for electric vehicles to be maintained and enhanced but says the EV grant system needs to be refocused. Its call is for increased supports for purchasing more efficient and cheaper electric vehicles, including second-hand EVs. However, it says those additional supports should be focused on areas with the poorest access to public transport services and Just Transition Principles. Additional grants of up to €10,000 for fully electric vehicles costing less than €35,000 for lower income households will be key, it says. It is also calling for an accelerated roll-out of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure alongside the ambitious roll-out of electricity network reinforcement. At the end of last year there were 2,802 publicly accessible "slower" AC charging points and 786 fast DC charging points for electric vehicles. This equates to seven charging points per 10,000 people in Ireland, which is considerably below the EU-27 average of 20 charging points per 10,000 people, or the average of 13 per 10,000 people in the UK. Over €294 million was allocated in funding for active travel infrastructure this year, bringing the total investment since 2020 to over €1.25 billion. In terms of mode share, cycling increased slightly from 1.8% of journeys in 2022 to 1.9% in 2023. Meanwhile, walking declined from 19.3% of trips to 17.7% overall. Commenting on the launch of the Transport Review, Marie Donnelly, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council said: "Transport is Ireland's biggest source of energy demand, and emissions from the sector must reduce by half if the sector is meet its target. "To achieve this, urgent and decisive action must now be taken by Government to end our reliance on fossil fuels and deliver the kind of transformative change that is required in this sector. "We have seen signs of progress in public transport with more than half of the redesigned BusConnects network in Dublin implemented, a 48% increase in passenger boardings on redesigned routes, and a significant growth in the number of EV and hybrid buses on our roads. "However much more must be done to improve the integration of school transport with public transport services, which will be vital in helping to reduce car journeys and tackle emissions."
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Climate Council calls for €10,000 EV grants as transport emissions cuts ‘unlikely to be achieved'
Supports for purchasing electric vehicles need to be ramped up by the Government with grants of up to €10,000 for low-income households purchasing smaller vehicles, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has told the Government. This measure is one of a series of interventions required to ensure the transport sector does not exceed legally binding limits on carbon emissions , it said. With emissions falling by an estimated 1.3 per cent last year, 'urgent Government intervention [is needed] to support sustained emissions reductions and people making the switch to public transport', it added. The Republic has a national target of a 51 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. Key to delivering transport emissions reductions 'is ending reliance on harmful and expensive fossil fuels', the independent advisory body said in its latest review of the sector published on Wednesday. READ MORE 'An increase in new battery electric vehicle (Bev) registrations and the achievement of targets for Bev adoption under the Climate Action Plan must be realised.' To drive this forward, the council has recommended grants of up to €10,000 (for Bevs less than €35,000) for lower-income households, particularly in places with limited access to public transport, including rural areas. EV grants have been pared back in recent years. A grant of up to €3,500 is available for new Bevs with a price of between €14,000 and €60,000. In parallel, there needs to be accelerated roll-out of publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure alongside ambitious electricity network reinforcement. That is 'a measure which is critical to support access to charging for those without off-street parking and decarbonisation of commercial vehicles', the CCAC said. With only 18 per cent (172,000 out of 945,000) of primary and post-primary pupils accessing the School Transport Scheme, it strongly supports expanded eligibility criteria and greater integration of school and public transport services. Expansion of the safe routes to school programme, which aims to encourage as many students as possible to safely walk, cycle and wheel to school, was also needed to support the required shift in the sector. 'Transport is Ireland's biggest source of energy demand, and emissions from the sector must reduce by half if the sector is to meet its target,' Marie Donnelly, chair of the CCAC, said. 'Urgent and decisive action must now be taken by Government to end our reliance on fossil fuels and deliver the kind of transformative change that is required in this sector.' There were signs of progress in public transport, she said, with more than half of the redesigned BusConnects network in Dublin implemented; a 48 per cent increase in passenger boardings on redesigned routes, and a significant growth in the number of EV and hybrid buses on Irish roads. The review also highlighted the potential benefits of 'vehicle to everything charging' that can increase resilience in rural areas during power outages by providing temporary grid support for households while the main grid is restored. 'Bidirectional charging' and 'vehicle-to-grid' technology are increasingly available in EVs, which can provide home backup power for a number of days but also helps stabilise grids and decrease costs for electric vehicle owners. 'There is a significant opportunity for bidirectional charging, in tandem with solar photovoltaic and battery storage systems, to increase resilience to storm events,' the review finds. Highlighting learning from storms Darragh and Éowyn, Ms Donnelly said the Government must 'scale up investment to enhance the climate resilience of vulnerable and critical transport infrastructure' including road, rail and aviation. Ports are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and it is 'crucial that the National Ports Policy is updated to reflect these risks'.
