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File image of a Tesla EV charging at an ESB e-car charging point in Dublin. Alamy Stock Photo

New electric vehicle sales down by close to 25% when compared to same period last year

While EV sales have skyrocketed when compared to pre-pandemic levels, there has been a drop off in recent months.

SALES OF NEW electric vehicles are down 24.9% in the first half of the year when compared to the same period in 2023.

That’s according to figures released today by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) for 241 new vehicle registrations.

In the year to date as of June, there were 10,747 new electric vehicles (EVs) sold, down from 14,307 over the same period last year.

This figure is a huge increase however in the first half of 2019 in pre-pandemic times, when only 1,954 EVs were sold.

But the drop-off is even more stark when comparing June of this year to last year.

There were 692 EVs sold last month, a 51.7% drop when compared to the 1,432 EVs sold in June 2023.

And while new car sales across the board were down by 49.9% last month when compared to June 2023 (1,499 v 2,990), in the year to June there was a 1.7% increase (78,492 v 77,602).

So far this year, petrol vehicles lead the new car market share at 32.96%, followed by diesel at 22.89%, then Hybrid (petrol electric) at 20.11%.

This is followed by EVs at 13.61%, and lastly plug-in electric hybrids at 8.83%.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said the decline in the new EV car market “continues to highlight the need for the Government to support the EV transition”.

Cooke said this includes both private and company car buyers.

“Extending consumer incentives and Benefit-in-Kind support, along with investment in charging infrastructure will build consumer and business confidence and encourage uptake,” said Cooke.

‘Government taking foot off the gas’

Shane O’Donoghue is the editor of Complete Car, a leading Irish website for car news and reviews.

He told The Journal that he can see both sides of the argument when it comes to the Government supporting the move to EVs.

“As a country that wants to meet climate goals, and if we’ve decided that electric cars are part of that, then we need to do more to encourage this because the incentives we have at the moment aren’t enough,” said O’Donoghue.

He pointed to the Electric Vehicle Home Charger Grant as an example of this – it was previously worth €600 and has since been reduced to €300.

O’Donoghue also noted that EVs no longer receive a toll discount and that an EV purchase grant has been reduced from a maximum of €5,000 to €3,500.

“It feels like the government is taking their foot off the gas in terms of grants,” said O’Donoghue.

However, he added that the other side to the argument is that the “country can only afford to spend so much money on incentivising people buying new cars”.

And while O’Donoghue remarked that the public charging network isn’t good enough, he said most people will be charging their EV at home or work, which is much cheaper than the public network.

However, O’Donoghue said he wouldn’t buy an EV at this moment if he had to rely on public charging networks and didn’t have home charging.

The government recently set out plans to have EV chargers installed every 60km on major roads as part of National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025.

However, O’Donoghue said negative media around the price of an EV battery is perhaps one of the leading causes for the downturn in EV sales.

“The negative publicity around EV battery life was quite strong at the start of this year and there’s no doubt that very public discussion had an effect on buyer’s decisions,” said O’Donoghue.

O’Donoghue added that there is “hardly ever a need to replace the battery”.

While a complete battery replacement could cost up between €10,000 and €20,000, most EV batteries last for up to 150,000 miles and a recent study of 15,000 EVs showed that just 1.5% have required a new battery.

Despite this, O’Donoghue said this “negativity preyed on people’s doubts of moving from a diesel or petrol or hybrid to an electric”.

O’Donoghue also pointed to a recent drop in the resale values of second-hand electric cars as a reason for slumping sales.

Leading EV manufacturer Tesla cut the prices of some of its new models in several major markets, which had a knock-on effect on the price of used EVs.

However, O’Donoghue said prices have stabilised somewhat since and will continue to do so into the future.

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    Mute Toon Army
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    Jul 21st 2018, 7:42 AM

    Well at least the gangs can read about what the gardai intelligence is and what they believe the gangs next steps will be. Maybe the Journal could also provide a map detailing where exactly the new check points will be?

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    Mute ParSim
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    Jul 21st 2018, 9:01 AM

    @Toon Army: Do you think the gangs don’t know this already?

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    Mute DaisyMay
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    Jul 21st 2018, 6:45 AM

    The cost of policing these gangs must be extraordinary. We need to decriminalize drug users and slap a mandatory twenty years on drug sellers

    160
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    Mute Nameless and shameless
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    Jul 21st 2018, 6:50 AM

    @DaisyMay: I know but these drug dealers had a rough up bringing and they won’t get the tender love and care they are entitled to in prison. With the right programmes they can become outstanding members of a community.

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    Mute DaisyMay
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    Jul 21st 2018, 6:55 AM

    @Nameless and shameless: maybe some hard labor and forced education might help

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    Mute john doe
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    Jul 21st 2018, 9:14 AM

    @DaisyMay: how would your suggestion reduce the cost of policing these criminals? The only way to do that is legalisation and regulation.

    Decriminalisation would only reduce the cost of policing users, which in itself would also be worthwhile.

    For what it’s worth neither MDMA or ketamine are very harmful in their pure form. The problem is these gangsters cutting them with god knows what to increase their profits. Again regulation would solve that greatly reducing potential for harms to the public who use these drugs.

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    Mute Gareth Cooney
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    Jul 21st 2018, 10:14 AM

    @DaisyMay: How does that work? Legal to buy but illegal to sell?
    The cost of policing the scangers remains the same in face of drugs are legal to take then they become more in demand by 1.5 times.

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    Mute Ronan O' Grady
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    Jul 21st 2018, 1:20 PM

    @Nameless and shameless: thats absolutely hilarious

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jul 21st 2018, 2:47 PM

    @Nameless and shameless: in that case execute them, problem solved

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    Mute Karl
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    Jul 22nd 2018, 11:30 AM

    @DaisyMay: how would that change anything other than increase their customer base?

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    Mute Joe Jackson
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    Jul 21st 2018, 8:22 AM

    Let them at it… Natural cull

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    Mute Noel_Random
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    Jul 21st 2018, 6:57 AM

    Oh my goodness. But is it a north Dublin or a south Dublin issue? I can’t quite tell from the document above. (Obviously, there’s no east or west in Dublin.)

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    Mute DaisyMay
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    Jul 21st 2018, 7:10 AM

    @Noel_Random: it’s a north Dublin issue. What an odd comment. Where would you say finglas, coolock and ballymun are?

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    Mute SC
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    Jul 21st 2018, 8:57 AM

    It seems like the Gardai know who all the criminals are. Why don’t they put them on trial? They’re harming their own community.

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    Mute john doe
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    Jul 21st 2018, 9:18 AM

    @SC: put them on trial with no proof would be a waste of money. The gards seem like they know but They only report what they are told and it can be considerably wrong.

    People selling booze and taking bets in bookies are also potentially harming the community, should they go on trial too?

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    Mute Ronan O' Grady
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    Jul 21st 2018, 1:24 PM

    @SC: evidence and proof.. with the help of people to stand up in court and say ” it was him” hard thing to do…The Guards must be so frustrated… Their doing a great job while under resourced.

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    Mute Martin Lintzgy
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    Jul 21st 2018, 9:27 AM

    Its such a pity that crimanls are not locked up. Inteead, Tthey are free to go about thier nefarious buisness. If they are ccaught, there is always the broken home sob story, (no doubt perpetuated on their own kids), so snowflake sentencing.
    Tthe me, the purpose locking up these lowlifes is not too punish then, not to edducate and rehabilitate them…
    It it to protect honest hard working people.

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    Mute matt curran
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    Jul 21st 2018, 11:48 AM

    Whats the big problem …just let them at it, one way to get rid of them….

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    Mute John Ryan
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    Jul 21st 2018, 11:39 AM

    Can’t the same laws used to tackle terrorism be used against the gangs mainly having them declared illegal organizations with membership carrying long prison sentences.

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    Mute GerryCummins
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    Jul 21st 2018, 9:46 PM

    Conscription! dont do school/college..straight to the Army/Navy/Aer Corp. That would sort a few of them !

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    Mute Karl
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    Jul 22nd 2018, 11:32 AM

    @GerryCummins: yep, really looking forward to all those new criminals getting professional military training.

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    Mute Seamus Mac
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    Jul 22nd 2018, 1:36 PM

    These guys get the best police protection in the state. The amount of resources & overtime put into this is absolutely ridiculous.

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