Ireland provides funding for electric taxis
The Irish government has announced the re-launch of the electric vehicle taxi scheme, with a funding pot of €15 million allocated by the Department of Transport for 2022. The grants will enable owners of small public service vehicles, such as taxis, to buy electric vehicles.
Applicants can apply for grants of up to €10,000 towards the purchase of a new, battery-electric, with a further €2,500 available to convert it to a wheelchair-accessible model. This amount can even be doubled for the scrapping of an older, more polluting or high mileage vehicle. In this way, up to €20,000 can be made available for a new, fully electric small public service vehicle (SPSV). If the taxi is a wheelchair-accessible electric vehicle, the support cash rises to €25,000.
In addition to the purchase support, vehicle registration tax relief of up to €5,000 is available, as well as the Domestic Charger Scheme for up to €600 on a home charger. Finally, annual toll refunds are available for BEV drivers up to €1,000.
Last year, the electric vehicle scheme attracted almost 600 drivers, who successfully applied for grants, with over €11 million paid out.
“The electrification of the taxi fleet has been earmarked by the Department of Transport as an important component in the transition to cleaner fuels, contributing to the achievement of our national targets under the Climate Action Plan 2021 for the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions in the transport sector,” said Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, “More and more professional taxi drivers are voting with their wallets and making the move to EVs as an efficient, sustainable and remarkably cost-effective alternative to expensive petrol and diesel.”
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