Banning petrol and diesel cars a progressive move to meet climate ambitions – Rock

Plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars in Ireland from 2030 is a progressive move and will go a long way to helping Ireland meet our climate action targets, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Dublin North West TD Noel Rock said the important thing now is for the Government to ensure Electric Vehicles are an affordable and workable alternative for people.

Deputy Rock said, “According to reports today the Minister for Climate Action, Richard Bruton, is due to introduce legislation that will ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars after 2030.

“This is a radical and necessary step if we are serious about meeting the ambitious targets set out in the Climate Action Plan and everyone is agreed that we must meet those targets.

“Transport emissions account for around a fifth of all emissions in Ireland in 2018 and it is vital that we overhaul how we get from A to B if we are to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

“The Government has already committed to having almost one million Electric Vehicles on the road by 2030 and to achieve this we need to see a number of changes in the current market.

“Among the most important changes we need is to see a revamp of our charging network in our cities, towns and villages around Ireland and I welcome Government plans to introduce new regulations in this area. EV charging points needs to be accessible in public spaces, in residential settings and in apartment blocks. As the charging infrastructure improves switching to an EV will become a more realistic choice for many.

“In 2020, it is expected that we will double the number of home chargers installed. The fast charger network will also double in 2020 and we will further rollout the nationwide network of on-street chargers.

“EVs prices are expected to come down as the market adapts to changes being introduced across Europe in response to the climate emergency and it will soon be cheaper to own and run an EV than a diesel or petrol car.

“So, in addition to being the right thing for our climate targets and our air quality, choosing EV will also be the consumer savvy choice.

“The Government is showing significant ambition and vision with this move and I hope that legislators on all sides of the house get behind the legislation when it comes before us in the New Year,” Deputy Rock concluded.