'Decades' before EVs dominate Irish roads

For the first time, electric vehicles have surpassed hybrids to become the most popular choice for new car buyers in Ireland, according to official data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry. Battery electric vehicles now make up 26% of new car registrations, a key indicator of sales, though they still fall short of dominating the Irish roads.

When compared to other European nations, Ireland stands out as a leader in EV adoption. The online marketplace DoneDeal Cars analyzed the situation and found that Ireland is far ahead of countries like Spain (10%) and Poland (5%), and on par with the UK (quarter of new car sales).

Scandinavian countries, notably Norway and Denmark, boast even higher percentages of fully electric vehicles at 98% and 80% respectively. The success in these countries is attributed to stringent taxation on regular petrol and diesel cars, as well as significant incentives for EV purchases, according to Paddy Comyn, Head of Automotive Content at DoneDeal Cars.

Despite the impressive growth in EV sales, Ireland's electric vehicles still represent only 4% of the existing fleet, a figure that has remained stagnant for 16 years since the country's first EV was sold in 2010. The situation is similar in Germany and France.

While the numbers of new EVs sold in Ireland are increasing, their presence in the overall vehicle fleet remains modest. To match the fleet composition of Norway, Ireland would need to transform its entire electric car market, a process that could take approximately 30 years, Comyn noted.

However, the shift towards electric vehicles is becoming more attractive due to lower costs associated with the cars themselves and reduced charging fees compared to traditional fuel sources. Yet, concerns linger about the availability of adequate charging infrastructure. Roughly 30% of Irish households lack convenient access to private home charging stations, and public charging capacity needs substantial expansion.

Currently, Ireland has 4,000 charging stations, a number that would need to rise to about 13,000 to align with EV adoption rates in comparable EU countries. Additionally, charging costs in Ireland are higher than in many other EU states.