AD welcomes consultation on the change from petrol and diesel cars to electric cars

Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement that the government will launch a consultation on the change from vehicles using petrol and diesel – the true cancer factory in the heart of every town and village – to electric vehicles.

AD spokesperson Ralph Cassar said: “This change is one of the concrete proposals made by AD in its document Zero Carbon Malta 2050. The transition period for all cars to change from diesel and petrol to electric is dependent on many factors including the time necessary to change the infrastructure which so far only serves petrol and diesel vehicles to infrastructure including battery swapping schemes, and the charging and recycling of batteries, as well as reasonable period during which all current diesel and petrol cars are phased out. In the short term the government should ensure that all its vehicles, those of rental companies and taxis are replaced with electric ones. The electrification of public transport should also be planned immediately. It is important to have a plan with clear targets which are adhered to. “

“We insist that this important initiative should be accompanied by immediate ones to reduce congestion, among them a national system of proper bicycle paths for commuters using bicycles and electric bicycle. All ‘bypasses’ should have a system of proper bicycle lanes connecting all towns and villages. We are also reiterating our call for incentives for people who use bicycles and electric bicycles for commuting. It makes no sense to have bureaucratic barriers such as the need of registration of electric bicycles – their use should be facilitated rather than hindered. There should be schemes to reduce the cost of buying electric bicycles. The investment in infrastructure for bicycles and electric bicycles and fiscal incentives to boost uptake costs much less than flyovers costs and tunnels. These projects and incentives can be launched relatively quickly. According to figures from London the introduction of ‘bicycle superhighways’ increased use of bicycles by 60%. Other figures show a decrease of 35% of travelling time for vehicles along main roads where separate and safe bicycle lanes were introduced. For each person who uses a bicycle you get less traffic and less pollution.

“The electrification of transport should also be linked to serious investment in renewable sources of energy: solar, to wave, wind and other sources such as natural gas from farm waste and waste water. The target of 10% by 2020 is too little. Malta for once has the opportunity to lead the shift towards a zero carbon economy - a sustainable economy which works for everyone. Green works.”