Sir, – There is a great deal of talk and excuse-making as to why one million electric vehicles is not achievable, mainly because the consensus is that they are too expensive. However if you consider the variety of fossil-fuelled vehicles presently in use, eg Audi, Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche etc, the cost of these is often way north of €50,000. The EVs on offer are in the same price range or less.
So, if folk can afford to buy the aforementioned petrol and diesel vehicles they can afford to buy EVs. Hybrid cars may be a “stepping stone” to an EV but they will be phased out in 2030.
I had until March of this year an Audi A6 which cost €110 per month in diesel (€1.20 per litre). I bought an EV in March and since then the cost in electricity for the same pattern of use has been €63 per month and if the current diesel price (€1.62) is used, the cost per month would be €148. The use of EVs is a no-brainer.
– Yours, etc,
IAN BOOTH,
Enniscorthy,
Co Wexford.