Cantillon: Tough battle to reach electric cars target

You have to admire the Government’s optimism. It isn’t wavering from a previously set target of having 10 per cent of vehicles on Irish roads switched over to electric power by 2020.

It is all part of cutting Ireland’s carbon emissions by 20 per cent by that date, or face European fines.

The figures show just how tough a battle it will be. There are about two million cars on the roads these days. That means about 200,000 should be electric within six years, according to Government targets.

There was much talk about how the number of electric vehicles sold in the first quarter has been the highest to date. However the CSO stats show that while that was true, only 89 private electric vehicles were registered for the first time in Ireland in the first three months of the year, compared with more than 25,000 petrol and diesel cars. That leaves a rather sizeable gap to bridge and a major shift in thinking for Irish motorists.

The ESB for its part is pulling its weight. The company has installed hundreds of public charge points nationwide, which are currently free for drivers to use. It has also spent the past few years promoting electric cars around the country through a series of ambassador programmes.

About 20,000 people applied to be part of this year’s programme, showing there is a healthy interest in trying out the cars.

However, most consumers still seem to be reticent about investing in the technology. It’s no surprise really. Manufacturers haven’t been quick to produce reasonably priced cars, although the number of vehicles on offer is rising, with this year’s programme including nine different cars. Although the range of the cars is still far below what a regular car would do on a full tank of petrol or diesel, there are improvements.

The Minister thinks that with Ireland’s temperate climate and geographical layout – electric vehicles do better in milder temperatures and for shorter journeys – Ireland is the perfect test bed for this technology. Does this mean that we should expect to see his official vehicles changed over to fully electric in the months to come?