Climate Council Urges EV Uptake for Lower-Income Households, Warns on Fuel Dependence

The Climate Change Advisory Council has urged the Irish government to implement «targeted measures» to increase electric vehicle (EV) uptake among lower-income households to reduce carbon emissions. The transport sector is Ireland's largest source of energy demand, accounting for 42% in 2024 and 22% of national carbon emissions. The sector is projected to exceed its 2026-2030 carbon emissions ceiling without urgent action.

To address this, the Council recommends accelerating EV charging infrastructure expansion and providing incentives like modified grants, tax incentives, low-to-zero-interest loans, or social leasing schemes, particularly for areas with limited public transport access. They welcomed the new €10 million pilot EV scrappage scheme, offering a €5,000 grant for replacing vehicles over 13 years old with an EV. The Council also emphasized the need for affordable, reliable EV charging, noting the Private Wires Bill offers solutions for on-street charging. A rapid expansion of the public charging network and reinforcement of Ireland’s electricity grid are also deemed crucial.

The Council warned that fossil fuel dependence makes Ireland vulnerable to «repeated fuel price shocks» and criticized recent emergency fuel excise reductions as insufficiently targeted. They recommended targeted supports for those most exposed to fuel costs, while maintaining carbon tax increases and ring-fencing revenues for climate action. Increased funding for public transport projects like DART+ South West and Luas Finglas is also called for, along with making the transport network more resilient to extreme weather, citing Storm Chandra’s €59 million damage. The Council also criticized the steep increase in school transport fees, warning it risks undermining recent progress.