Ireland Sets 2020 Target for Electric Cars

27 November, 2008 07:21:00

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The Irish Government has said that it aims to make Ireland a world leader in green transport by having 250.000 electric cars on the road by 2020.

The Government said it will bring in tax breaks and develop a system of street charging points for the low carbon vehicles. Energy Minister Eamon Ryan and Transport Minister Noel Dempsey have also vowed to pour one million euro into a nationwide campaign encouraging people to switch over from petrol and diesel.

Under a scheme to cut the State’s €6 billion annual bill for imported oil, businesses that purchase electric vehicles will be able to write off 100 per cent of the cost.

The Electric Vehicles plan includes:

- Tax incentives for business to purchase electric vehicles

Businesses can write off 100% of the cost of purchase against tax under the Accelerated Capital Allowance Scheme

- A €1 million project by Sustainable Energy Ireland to research, develop and demonstrate of vehicles nationally

- Assistance for individuals purchasing electric vehicles – publication of a “Buyer’s Guide” and a “Cost of Ownership Calculator” by Sustainable Energy Ireland

- Establishment of a National Task Force which will examine infrastructure options for national roll-out of electric vehicles, including street charging

"All journeys start with one step. This Government initiative is an important step in transforming our current unsustainable travel and transport patterns," said Mr Dempsey. Under the plans, 10% of all cars, vans and trucks on the Republic's roads will be electric-run by 2020.

The plan was to have 40 per cent of vehicles electrically powered by 2030, he said.

Announcing the Government’s plans, Minister Eamon Ryan said, “The Irish Government is signalling its intentions to national and international players that Ireland is ‘open for business’. We are positioning ourselves as a cener for electric vehicles. The Government expects considerable international investment to emanate from this plan.

”The island of Ireland is some 450km north to south and 250km east to west. A charged battery would travel 160km, or enough to get from the capital Dublin in the east to the city of Galway in the west,” he said.

The government would invest in the infrastructure for electric cars to recharge or swap batteries across the country.

Ireland currently produces 10 percent of its electricity from wind energy and plans to increase the proportion of power from renewable sources dramatically in the next decade to counter its growing greenhouse gas emissions.

The minister estimated that an electric vehicle would cost 6 euro cents (7.8 US cents) per kilometer to run in contrast to 50 cents for a petrol-powered car.

Eamon Ryan said he would talk to carmakers about making Ireland a showcase for electric vehicles. He pointed to Israel and Denmark as already having ambitious plans for electric vehicles. For example, Israel plans to go completely electric by 2020.

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