Electric car sales are doubling with more than 6,000 cars sold so far in 2022

THE number of new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) purchased this year has more than doubled.

The latest figures from SIMI show that 6,244 new “all-electric” cars (battery powered alone) have been registered, compared to 2,816 for the corresponding period in 2021.

The trend continued in March with 1,930 battery electric vehicles (BEV) registered – compared to 1,034 in the same period last year.

The figures show that “pure” electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and conventional hybrids continue to attract buyers strongly. They now have a combined market share of 44.63 percent and are steadily catching up with combined diesel and gasoline approvals.

The figures came as the government yesterday outlined the country’s first national strategy for EV charging infrastructure.

The aim is to set up a charging network to support up to 194,000 electric cars and vans by 2025.

100 million euros will be spent over three years on expanding the grid.

Four main types of charging form the basis of the network: home/apartment, residential area, destination charging and highway/route charging.

The strategy sets out a plan for each element for the coming years and is based on partnerships between the Department of Transport and relevant stakeholders (industry, private charge point operators, local authorities and citizen drivers).

Against this background, it is not surprising that the decline in purchases of cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) is continuing.

Gasoline accounts for 27.4 percent of all diesel-registered cars, now at 25.83 percent, but conventional hybrid purchases (24.56 percent) are steadily catching up. BEVs make up 12.51 percent of the market and plug-ins make up 7.56 percent.

Total registrations for all vehicle types are up 4 percent (49,928) from the first quarter of 2021, SIMI figures show.

Last month saw a big increase in registrations of 40.7 percent despite supply shortages.

Second-hand imports are down 36.8 percent (11,641) year-to-date compared to 2021, and that’s driving second-hand prices higher by the day.

SIMI Director-General Brian Cooke said that while new car sales are up 41% compared to March last year and 4% year-to-date, they are still 22% below pre-Covid (2019) levels.

“There is strong consumer demand for new and used cars, although supply remains a major challenge for the industry while the car rental market remains well below pre-pandemic levels,” he said.

He said the acceleration in EV sales stems from the increase in the number of models on the market and SEAI grants supporting their purchase.

He welcomed the government’s release of the draft EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025.

“It is vital that Ireland provides a modern, agile charging infrastructure that can keep up with both the increasing number of electric vehicles and ongoing improvements in charging technologies.”

The 5 best-selling car brands in March 2022 were: 1. Toyota. 2Hyundais. 3 AI 4. SKODA. 5.Volkswagen.

The best-selling models were 1. Hyundai Tucson 2. Toyota Corolla, 3. Toyota C-HR, 4. Toyota RAV 4, 5. Toyota Yaris.

The best-selling electric brands were: 1. Hyundai IONIQ 5, 2. Volkswagen ID.4, 3. KIA EV6, 4. Nissan LEAF, 5. Tesla Model 3.