Government 'on track' to reach target of 950,000 electric vehicles, says Ryan

Press Association

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan claimed the Government is “on track” to reach its target of having 950,000 electric vehicles by the end of the decade.

Mr Ryan said the Government will launch a new €100 million strategy next month that will see more charging stations installed around the country.

However, the Minister for the Environment said the plan to tackle climate change is not only about switching to electric vehicles but also encouraging the public to use public transport.

Mr Ryan said he wants to improve bus services, and to make it easier and safer for the public to cycle and walk.

The Government is expected to publish its revised Climate Action Plan, which will set out the roap on how it will cut emissions by 50 per cent by the end of this decade.

Mr Ryan told RTÉ’s the The Week In Politics programme: “Change is happening. We are starting to roll out the public transport solutions, the bus services, the electrification of our transport system. It’s a huge challenge. It is beyond compare.

“It will require consensus across the country to make decisions about reallocation of road space, so we get the buses through traffic quickly.

“We’re starting to see traffic come back to those gridlock levels of the past.

“We cannot for the sake of gridlock or for the sake of climate allow that to happen.

“We will make the political decisions to promote public transport, to make it safer to walk and cycle, to not just to meet those climate targets but to make the country the best.”

The Government has a target of having around 950,000 electric vehicles on the State's road in the next eight years.

“We will get to very close to about 950,000 and we’re actually on track to deliver that,” he added.

“We will next month will be launching a new strategy as to how we put in the charging stations – €100 million which we’re going to commit to to make it easier for people to do the right thing.

“It is cheaper by going electric, they are better cars.”

Mr Ryan said the updated Climate Action Plan will include Moneypoint power station switching from coal to oil.

“The only place with deeper water in Europe is in Rotterdam,” he added.

“So we can use that strategic advantage at the mouth of the Shannon, where you are close to the offshore wind, and bring that into Moneypoint, convert to hydrogen and use on our grid to give us a secure stable energy system for the future.

“It’s real. It’s happening. It’s going to be good for Ireland.”

Party conference

Mr Ryan's comments to RTÉ came after the Green Party held its annual party conference in Athlone over the weekend.

The Minister outlined aims to bring forward solar power targets by five years, adding that Ireland's future will be "powered by the sun".

He also outlined the party's aspirations for the coming elections, hoping to claim a 10 per cent of the polls, with Mr Ryan adding that he is confident one in 10 Irish people "will cast their votes in the interest of the next generation in that way".