Falling sales of electric vehicles

Sir, – Figures indicate that the sales of new electric vehicles (EVs) are down 25 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, despite an overall 1.7 per cent increase in new car registrations (“The Irish Times view on falling sales of electric vehicles: an unwelcome move into reverse”, August 13th).

Various reasons have been given as to why this is the case. However, creeping quietly under the radar with regard to any considerations pertaining to EV’s is the issue of the “battery consequences” of these vehicles. The battery unit, a very expensive part of the vehicle in the first instance, may only have a life span of about 10 years and will have a slowly diminishing capacity (about 2 per cent per annum) over these years. The consequences for the second-hand market are obvious and raise ghosts of the mobile phone market where the instrument is replaced once the battery becomes unchargeable.

There is also the issue of scrapping “millions” of EV batteries world-wide every year, which should raise questions as to how and where this disposal will be done and the environmental impact of the process. Will the developing world be dumped on again? – Yours, etc,

MICHAEL GANNON,