Free parking ‘could entice’ electric car buyers to market
That is according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, which said that electric cars had to be made normalised like they had in countries like Norway.
Director general Alan Nolan said: “We need to get away from electric cars being just a novelty and emphasise the benefits. The State has done a good job in financing the effort but making them more user-friendly in cities like Cork and Dublin would help hugely.”
Mr Nolan said free parking in cities, allowing users to drive in bus lanes as well as other incentives would help sales.
“Those incentives would then last until electric cars became the norm. Other measures we think would help are tax incentives to employers and employees.
“We have a long way to go but it is getting better. Compared to the 360 we had last year, we had 537 this year so far,” he said.
New Jaguar Land Rover cars will be available in an electric or hybrid version from 2020, the UK’s biggest carmaker said, as it speeds up plans to electrify its model range. Last year the company, owned by India’s Tata Motors, said it would offer greener versions of half of its new line-up by 2020 but it has ramped up its plans.
Demand for electric models continues to rise sharply and in July, the UK said it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 to cut pollution, replicating plans by France and cities such as Madrid, Mexico City and Athens.
However, the UK needs to do more to be prepared for the mass uptake of electric cars, said Jaguar’s boss.
“Dates are set by the UK government for the banning of diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040. Where is the network of charging points that we will be required? Indeed where is the power and the grid?” said Ralf Speth.
Germany’s BMW is gearing up to mass produce electric cars by 2020 and will have 12 models by 2025, it said, as traditional manufacturers race to catch up with US electric car pioneer Tesla.
Car buyers shunned electric vehicles because of their high cost and limited operating range until Tesla unveiled the Model S in 2012, a car that cracked the 322km range barrier on one charge.
Since then, big advances in battery technology and a global crackdown on pollution in the wake of Volkswagen’s diesel scandal have raised pressure on carmakers to speed up development of zero-emission alternatives.
Additional reporting Reuters
