Measures needed to increase EV sales – climate watchdog

The Climate Change Advisory Council said urgent measures to increase the sale of electric vehicles in Ireland are needed and it has called for a comprehensive review of taxation in the transport sector.

It said transport in Ireland is not on target to achieve its emissions objectives and calls on the Government to disincentivise the use of private cars and internal combustion engine vehicles.

A rise in demand for petrol and diesel last year, of 7.7% and 1% respectively, combined with a decline in the sale of electric vehicles this year is seriously concerning the Climate Change Advisory Council.

It said the transport sector is already way off achieving its binding emissions targets and those trends make it even worse.

It is calling for every aspect of taxation that impacts on drivers, and the vehicle choices they make, to be comprehensively and urgently reviewed by the Government.

By that it means reforms to vehicle registration tax, motor tax, excise duty, carbon tax, fuel pricing, distance-based charges all before the end of 2025.

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

It also wants reforms to how company cars are taxed as soon as the Budget this October.

This is all about transformational change and incentivising householders to drive electric rather than petrol or diesel cars.

Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council Marie Donnelly said people must be supported to make sustainable transport choices. For this to happen, urgent delivery of efficient and low-cost public transport at both a national and regional level is required.

The council’s Annual Review highlights how transport emissions in Ireland increased again last year.

It said that even with the full implementation of proposed policies and measures the sector will exceed its emissions ceiling and that reliance on expensive, imported fossil fuels needs to end if the sector is to reduce its emissions.

The review said that without increased electric vehicle uptake, Ireland is at risk of being further locked into a carbon intensive transport system, while consumers may be left with carbon intensive combustion engine vehicles.

The Climate Change Advisory Council also strongly backs the re-allocation of road space for sustainable travel.

It said major projects such as BusConnects need to continue to address service speed, frequency and accessibility.

The review also calls for the Government to provide support and guidance to Local Authorities around congestion charging, shuttle bus services, and incentives to promote carpooling to reduce transport demand and emissions.

Planning of new housing developments that provide better access to shops, schools and workplaces with improved public transport links are also essential to deliver the change required.

It is encouraged by a 24% increase in public transport use in 2023, a significant increase in new rural bus service provision through Connecting Ireland and Local Link, and a 20 % average fare reduction on public bus services which should be continued in budget 2025.

Marie Donnelly said the Government would need to ensure that any changes in motoring taxation policy for households and businesses drive emission reductions while at the same time is progressive and protects the most exposed to change.

“A key priority is to strengthen community engagement to gain a better understanding of the barriers people face in making sustainable transport choices and providing much improved public transport services.”

We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

Andrew Murphy, a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council, added: “Reform that delivers a fit for purpose planning system will help make the necessary change required to reduce transport demand by ensuring homes, workplaces, public services and leisure spaces are located close to each other and near to public and active transport infrastructure.

“We must also provide Local Authorities with the necessary finance and resources to reduce transport demand and emissions, with locally implemented measures including demand management schemes, the provision of shuttle bus services and road space reallocation.”

The Council also recommends that Government prioritises measures and investments to strengthen the resilience of ports, critical roads and railways to the future impacts of climate change, particularly in relation to more intense rainfall and sea-level rise.