Almost 7,000 electric vehicle grants issued in Cork since 2021

Almost 7,000 electric vehicle grants have been provided in Cork since 2021, new figures show, as a Cork city councillor has called for the rollout of the city’s public charging policy.

Figures were provided by Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, who said that more than €100m has been allocated in 2025 to support the continued transition to electric vehicles. A total of 6,946 Cork grants were provided in the last five years; 1,554 in 2021, 1,130 in 2022, 1,772 in 2023, 1,302 in 2024, and 1,188 in 2025.

Green Party councillor for Cork city, Oliver Moran, has welcomed the figures, telling The Echo: “The grants available are significant, from the purchase of the vehicle itself to home chargers and discounts on VRT and tax on benefits-in-kind.

“In fact, the demand in some places is outstripping the availability of grants. In May, the Minister for Transport had to announce that there was a pause on grants for electric taxis because the scheme was already fully subscribed.

“The government has to keep pace with the demand that’s there. In the short-to-medium term, the switch to electric cars is expected to provide the greatest share of cuts in transport emissions.

 The target is to have 30% of private cars switched to electric by 2030.”

Mr Moran added: “Over the last five years, more than one in 10 of all the grants provided were in Cork. Something that’s often missed in the discussions about electric vehicles is how they are especially suitable for rural households that have ample space for home charging.

“Here in the city, we need our public charging policy in place. 

In March, it was confirmed to my colleague, Honoré Kamegni, that a capital investment of €17m will be required, including specialist contractors to operate the service. Cork City Council has to seek approval from the government for a new staff member to implement the strategy. Once that person is recruited, the implementation of the plan can get underway.”