Ireland has Tesla founder Elon Musk to thank for a big jump in electric vehicle sales.
New figures show the number of electric cars licensed here increased by 52% when compared to last year.
The CSO said there was a 30% increase in petrol cars from January to September, while diesel models decreased by 4% in the same period.
Transport Consultant Conor Faughnan told The Pat Kenny Show the numbers are huge.
"The revolution continues," he said.
"That means 20,000 new EVs have been sold in Ireland so far this year.
"They're now accounting for about 19% of all new car sales, it was only 14% last year.
"It looks to me like what economists would call the hockey stick adoption curve: it began slowly, but it really is beginning to rocket now."
E-cars charging at charging posts in Wolfsburg, Germany on February 12th 2021. Image: dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock PhotoConor said the massive increase is likely down to better technology, and one man in particular.
"To begin with EVs were a brilliant idea, but [had] loads of limitations; the range limitation being the most obvious," he said.
"Then, like him or hate him, I think Elon Musk is the one who put his finger on the scales and changed it.
"He poured enormous investment into Tesla, and that of course began a great story.
"What he also did which was more significant is really not so much his own investment in Tesla, it's the fact that he pivoted the entire research and development budgets of the existing carmakers towards EV."
A Volkswagen ID.4 SUV EV on display at a dealership. Image: Jonathan Weiss / Alamy Stock PhotoConor said Volkswagen moved away from diesel models back in 2015, and is to invest even more in EVs.
"They announced in March of this year their intention to spend US$183bn in EV technology," he said.
"That's on things like software, design and battery factories.
"They're anticipating that within the next two years, 20% of all of their car sales will be EVs - and that's just Volkswagen.
"You can see, on one level, this is the environmentalist's dream: the entire global fleet will, in the foreseeable timeframe, pivot away," he added.
