A GOVERNMENT-mandated 40,000 electric vehicle target for Limerick by 2030 is “unrealistic”, an opposition TD has warned.
Rural Ireland Independent Richard O’Donoghue also claimed that there is currently only one charging point per every 7,000 cars in Limerick.
“The Government’s push to control what cars people can own and drive is outright police state madness,” stated Deputy O’Donoghue, who described the ambitious proposal as “another attack on rural Ireland”.
He highlighted that Limerick has only around a dozen charging points, which represents one for every 7,000 cars in the county.
“Banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is just another ruinous attack on the Irish way of life by inner-city and government elites under the guise of net zero emissions by 2050,” the County Limerick politician declared.
“The Government’s target for EVs includes an initial figure of 8,000 for Limerick by 2025, followed by a further 30,000 in 2026-2030. This would basically make it compulsory that every vehicle purchased would have to be electric. These targets are completely unrealistic considering the ongoing difficulties in manufacturing, distributing, and the pinning of families’ collars due to the ever-worsening cost-of-living crisis.”
O’Donoghue said that in rural Limerick, where public transport is limited or disjointed, a car is essential for social and economic mobility. He believes that limiting the purchase of such cars to limited range electric-powered is a massive attack on all rural residents.
“The strategy to ban the sale of cheaper petrol and diesel cars is a blatant offence on all rural communities, impacting the least well-off and rural motorists the hardest. I believe this policy is aligned with the government’s punitive urbanisation policy agenda,” he concluded.
