Speaking at the Society of the Irish Motor Industry’s (SIMI ) AGM last week, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan said, “Electric cars are now a reality for Ireland”.
“The grants available will mean an on-the-ground delivery of Government policy. The Programme for Government announced our intention to transform the Irish energy and transport sectors. We have made great strides in renewable energy, energy efficiency and now we begin the electrification of our transport fleet.”
Minister Ryan continued, “Ireland is well placed to get the best electric cars in the world. We can sell our electric car technology to countries around the world, with our high IT knowledge, systems knowledge and process knowledge. It is the country of development which is normally the country that performs best in this market.”
Newly elected president of the SIMI, Eddie Murphy, MD of Ford Ireland, commented on the issue of seasonality when it comes to new car sales. He said, “There needs to be a more even spread to the monthly registrations of new vehicles as the current system is too lop-sided and places too much strain on working capital and logistics in the first four months. Equally, a lot of dealerships face six months of losses in the second half.”
