Geotab Research Shows Miniscule State Ownership of Electric Vehicles As Irish Government Falls Behind EV Transition Targets

• Only 3.8% of all State-owned vehicles (482 out of a total of 12,538) were electric at the end of 2022 
• European Geotab study shows European light-duty vehicle fleet operators stand to benefit from financial savings and deliver sustainability impact by switching to electric vehicles

DUBLIN, TBC May 2023, Geotab Inc., a global leader in IoT and connected transportation solutions, today highlighted the lack of progress being made by the public sector in Ireland as part of the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Only 3.8% of all State-owned vehicles (482 out of a total of 12,538) were electric at the end of 2022, with slow progress being made as evidenced by the fact that this figure stood at 1.4% in 2020 and 2.3% in 2021*. Despite the recently announced Public Sector Climate Action Mandate which will see relevant bodies required to only procure zero-emission vehicles wherever possible, public sector organisations will effectively be starting from scratch at a time where there is limited availability of EVs due to heightened demand. 

The figures stand in contrast to the Government’s ambition of increasing the proportion of EVs in the national car fleet to 30% and having one million EVs on the road by 2030**. With the transport sector currently accounting for 18% of Ireland’s carbon emissions, the Government’s own goals are to reduce the sector’s emissions by 50% by 2030 under sectoral emission targets as part of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. Current vehicle sales data from SIMI highlights that the general public and private sector is leading by example, with the public sector lagging behind, as private sector EV sales year-to-date are up almost 50% this year and annual sales almost doubling each year since 2021.
 

This data combined underscores an alarming lack of investment by the Irish Government and public sector organisations. Beyond the environmental benefits, public sector bodies could also benefit from a lower total cost of ownership by switching their fleets to fully electric vehicles. A recent Geotab study - Profitable Sustainability: The Potential of European Fleet Electrification - reviewed the operational cost and environmental impact of traditional petrol and diesel light commercial vehicles (including passenger vehicles, SUVs, minivans and light-commercial vans) and compared them with their battery electric counterparts. According to the study, six in ten Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles analysed as part of the study were considered suitable to switch to an EV alternative today and fleet managers could expect to see average savings of €9,508 per vehicle over a seven-year period.
 

Use of telematics across the public sector fleet would also provide real-world vehicle data to help optimise usage efficiency; identify potentially hazardous driving areas; improve safety s by helping eliminate harsh acceleration and braking; and optimise traffic flows.
 

“The latest publicly available data demonstrates a worrying lack of investment by the public sector in the EV transition, despite the Government’s own target of having one million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030,” commented David Savage, Vice President Ireland & UK at Geotab. “18% of Ireland’s emissions are attributed to transport, so public sector fleet operators are in a position to show leadership by heading up the transition to 100% electric. Instead, the Government has taken its foot off the accelerator, with the general public and private sector primarily accounting for EV sales.
 

“The low take-up of electric vehicles within the public sector fleet begs the question what is holding State bodies back. While the recently announced Public Sector Climate Action Mandate is to be welcomed, public sector organisations are starting far behind in the race to transition to EVs. A carrot and stick approach is required, with a clear opportunity to educate these organisations on the benefits of switching, but also a need for a concrete plan with targets and a timeline to track transition progress. Ultimately telematics data will be critical in demonstrating the value of electric vehicles, no matter where organisations are in their EV adoption stage, because it will help them operate their entire fleet in more efficient and sustainable ways.” Savage added.

Users can take advantage of Geotab’s Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment (EVSA), which leverages organisations’ existing driving profiles and Geotab’s unique level of insight into fleet behaviour to answer key questions for businesses considering electrification.
 

Through analysing driving behaviour, the EVSA identifies which existing vehicles are a good fit for electrification, suggests suitable EV replacement models and quantifies how much the organisation can save in both cost and potential carbon emission reduction.