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.
“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”.
