Minister Ryan's Electric Car

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230,000 electric cars in Ireland by 2020
says Minister Ryan

According to a news report in the Irish Times “More than 200,000 Irish motorists will be driving electric cars in just over a decade” Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan said that his department plans to have 10% of all the vehicles on the roads electrically powered by 2020.

Minister Ryan announced an agreement between the ESB, the Irish Government and the car makers Nissan and Renault. The “idea” is to “promote the introduction” of electric cars in Ireland. “This historic agreement is proof of the Government’s firm intention to act on the electrification of transport”

[It might unfortunately also be proof of the Governments lack of research into electric cars and their current severe limitations.]

Nissan and Renault bigwigs were in Dublin for signing of the agreement. Thierry Koskas of Renault, said the cars would cost about a tenth to run as compared with petrol and diesel cars, and that they can reach about 130km per hour, or about 100mph.

[ What Mt Koskas did not clarify was how much time it takes to charge the battery when it runs down, 8 to 10 hours currently. Nor did he say how much a replacement battery costs when you have to replace it at regular intervals every couple of years – currently almost 25% of the cost of the car. And - how will Ireland deal with 230,000 dud electric car batteries in a few years time??] [correction: some batteries could cost as much as 40% of the cars total cost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow!!!!!!!!]

Eric Nicholas of Nissan, said Ireland was ideal as a country in which to develop the introduction of electric cars because of its size and the “political will” here.

[Oh -Yes – because Ireland is desperate and gullible right now, and we are willing to take long shots – but what he did not say is that electric cars still have some very major failings mainly in the batteries and in the charging times and that the cost of batteries is sky high.]

He said a fully charged battery would enable a car to travel about 210 km, the equivalent of Dublin to Galway – and in Ireland 80 per cent of journeys were under 50km. Batteries can be charged in six to seven hours.

[ What he didn’t say was how were you going to get around in the Galway area with a flat battery? And that while charging the battery you probably would need to stay the night in Galway before making your return journey to Dublin – how useful is that?????]

Mr Ryan said he thought electric cars would be “very popular here” and were the “perfect transport solution” to the energy crisis. He said there were already tax allowances in place for companies that would choose to buy electric vehicles over petrol or diesel ones.

[ Maybe as popular as WoodPellet boilers are now after 3 years of massive grants??? Will the Minister provide free accommodation overnight for electric car travellers – while their electric cars are being re-charged??]

ESB chief executive Pádraig McManus said this was a chance for Ireland to demonstrate its leadership in the green revolution.

[Unless a fast, inexpensive, and efficient battery swap facility is provided every 50Km in Ireland, or alternatively, a much more efficient type of battery than currently available is invented, this is going to be just another hair-brained, money wasting, and doomed to failure, but well meaning project.]






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