Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 February 2026
45. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the electric vehicle roadmap (details supplied); if Ireland is on track to meet key milestones; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15276/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSEAI’s Electric Vehicle Roadmap was published in 2011. This proposed various future low and zero emission vehicle scenarios based on available data at that time. Over the last 15 years the availability of EVs, their range and costs have changed hugely. In addition in the time since then multiple more up to date policy documents have been published including the 2021 Electric Vehicle Policy Pathway Working Group Report, which called for the establishment of Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland. The Climate Action Plans also set national targets for EVs in Ireland with ambitious targets under the Climate Action Plan 2023 to have an expected 30% of our private car fleet switched to electric by 2030.
Last year, Ireland surpassed its Climate Action Plan target for 2025, with over 200,000 electric vehicles now registered in Ireland’s roads. This exceeded our initial target of 195,000 by the end of 2025 and highlights the growing demand for EVs in Ireland.
The Department of Transport provides a generous range of incentives to support drivers’ transition to electric, including:
• a purchase grant for battery electric vehicles (BEVs)
• a home charging scheme
• an apartment charging scheme
• benefit-in-kind tax relief for BEVs
• VRT relief of up to €5,000 for BEVs
• a low rate of annual motor tax.
From a business perspective there are also supports available including:
• a grant for taxi drivers to make the switch to an EV
• a fleet assessment grant to help businesses explore the transition to EVs
• a grant for HDVs to bridge the gap between a zero emission vehicle and a fossil fuel vehicle.
Having an effective and reliable charging network is also an essential part of enabling drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles.
In order to achieve Ireland’s EU targets under the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), it is expected that there will be 3,200 – 6,210 public chargers required nationally by 2030, depending on the level of power supplied at each. AFIR requirements currently state that there should be 1.3KW of capacity on the national network per BEV and 0.8KW capacity per PHEV.
In the coming days, ZEVI will publish a refreshed national strategy for public consultation that sets out the next phase of Ireland’s EV-charging infrastructure rollout. This updated strategy will build on the progress of recent years under the 2022-25 National EV Infrastructure Charging Strategy and ensure charging infrastructure keeps pace with the rapidly growing level of EV adoption in Ireland.
