Irish EV sales lag behind 2030 target levels

Research into Irish electric vehicle (EV) uptake by Cornwall Insight Ireland has shown that EV sales are up 53% year-to-date. However, this still lags behind the Irish government’s Climate Action Plan 2019.

The plan set a target to have 950,000 EVs on the road by 2030.

The above graph compares the number of EVs, including hybrid variants, sold in 2020 against the same period for 2019. It shows that in January, EV registrations rose by 73.6% to 5,739 compared with January 2019. In February, sales increased by 13.3% compared with the same month last year.

Tom Lusher, analyst at Cornwall Insight Ireland, said, “This boost in EV sales in the first two months of 2020 is a positive step towards the target. Nevertheless, almost all the growth came in January to coincide with the release of new vehicle registration plates.

“With Irish motorists purchasing most new cars in January and July, it is possible we may have already seen the peak for EV sales this year. As a result, many will wonder how the 2030 targets will be achieved, particularly without new supportive measures from the government to boost uptake.

“Currently there is a range of incentives available, including; a grant of up to €5,000 for eligible privately purchased battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids EVs (PHEVs) and vehicle registration tax relief for BEVs until the end of 2021 and PHEVs until the end of 2020.

“Despite this, Ireland may need to go further and put in more ambitious measures. This could include removing the €120 per year motor tax on BEVs to achieve its ambitious targets.”