Michael Healy Rae says he is “not convinced” that Ireland will be ready for a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by the year 2035. 

On Tuesday, the European Parliament formally approved the ban which will mean that all new cars sold in the bloc will have to be electric. 

The legislation aims to reduce Europe’s carbon footprint and Green MEP Ciarán Cuffe said the move has “been in the pipeline for some time”. 

“We do this incrementally and banning the sale of high emission vehicles from 2035 is a start,” he told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“But clearly, there will still be petrol and diesel vehicles on the road long after we ban the sale of them.” 

Industry insiders say that Ireland is currently undergoing a “huge switch” towards electric vehicles but Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae believes the Government is unlikely to be much help facilitating the switch. 

“Well, I think that forward planning is what all this is about and, unfortunately, the present Government haven’t exactly shrouded themselves in glory in forward planning,” he said. 

“We’ve seen themselves the mess they’ve made of, for instance, the energy crisis that we have in Ireland.” 

A ChargePoint station

There is concern about the quantity and quality of EV chargers and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has allocated €100 million to spend on public charging infrastructure over the next three years.

Despite this, Deputy Healy Rae thinks 12 years is too ambitious a date. 

“Saying that we’ll have no more petrol or diesel cars after 2035 - will everything be in place? 

“If it all goes correctly and goes ahead properly and the infrastructure is there, if the public is available in rural Ireland as much as it is in urban Ireland, wouldn’t that be great? 

“But do I think that will happen? 

“Well, I’ll have to be convinced because they haven’t convinced me to date because, like I say, they haven’t shrouded themselves in glory.” 

Main image: Split of Michael Healy Rae and a driver filling up.