Speaking at the recent Continental Irish Car of the Year 2011 Awards, which are organised by the IMWA, he said that by going 'headlong' into electric cars, we are ignoring other opportunities where we could generate carbon savings and cost efficiencies. "We could do this while supporting indigenous employment and a clean environment," he said.
Noting that electric vehicles will arrive in numbers on Irish roads during 2011, he said that as a green-driven initiative across Europe, it is to be 'broadly welcomed', but the reality is that less than 5 percent of new cars will be electrically powered by 2020, according to all estimates.
"We have given little support to the opportunity to blend waste recycling with energy production in a practical way even though we have led world research on the subject. This means more to us because we are rated as the highest distance drivers in the world, averaging 20,000km per annum, while still importing 99 percent of our liquid transport energy supplies."
He said it was 'sad' that the Four Year Plan produced by the Government had sought the soft option of doubling carbon tax. "This is another €330m penalty on the motorist, and that’s before the VRT changes due in 2013," he concluded. "Let us hope that a refocusing of our national strategies will allow our new policy makers to develop a broader outlook."
