Perks, but no Mercs please
New f leet of eco-friendly electric and hybrid cars for Cabinet
MINISTERS could be getting a brand new fleet of climate-friendly electric and hybrid cars, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
The revelation comes amid growing unease over the increasingly dilapidated state of the current fleet of State ministerial cars and the costs of upgrading it.
Of the current 17 vehicles in the fleet, 10 were purchased in 2016 or earlier. Four Audi 6 diesel vehicles date back to 2013, with a fifth registered in 2014.
One BMW 730 dates back to 2014, while four more of the same make and model were bought in 2016.
The current fleet shows the traditional Irish ministerial Merc is now out of fashion, it now consists of eight sporty Audi 6 cars, seven BMWs, one Lexus and a bus.
One senior government source told the MoS: ‘With the best will in the world, ministers can’t be going around the place in the sort of old banger a student teacher in the local primary school uses.
‘There could be a lot of problems on the cost front if we have to go green and electric.’
The Government is already under pressure over the diesel-heavy status of the fleet.
‘There could be a lot of problems with costs’
Responses to recent parliamentary queries by Social Democrat co-leader Catherine Murphy revealed just three of the fleet are climate-friendly.
Currently, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath have ministerial cars for security reasons.
Two are plug-in electric vehicles and one is hybrid, with the remainder diesel-powered.
The MoS recently revealed plans are underway to eventually provide Garda security for all ministers, but this is being introduced on a gradual basis, according to a Department of Justice source.
The Department of Justice and gardaí declined to provide details of what car each minister drives for security reasons.
Despite fears over the high cost of replacing old diesel vehicles with climate-friendly cars, a Department of Justice spokesman told the MoS: ‘We can confirm that a small number of hybrid vehicles have been purchased as part of ongoing consideration around the feasibility of including a larger number of hybrid and fully electric vehicles within the Government fleet.’
Justice Minister Ms McEntee said: ‘One further allocation of a fully electric vehicle is planned for the near future.’
However, there is unease among some ministers over the cost of going green. One source warned: ‘There will be trouble if a new fleet will be all-electric, the cost will be enormous.’
New Audi A6 cars currently retailing at over €60,000, while BMW models in the same class are
around €70,000.
In contrast, hybrid electric vehicles of the class currently in the ministerial fleet cost more than €100,000.
One senior Government figure told the MoS: ‘At a hundred thousand a car, I don’t see that happening fast under cautious [Taoiseach] Micheál [Martin].
‘The optics of a spanking new fleet of
EVs wouldn’t be good. We may be sticking with the old diesel bangers for a while.’
Global supply issues may also significantly slow attempts to equip ministers with shiny new electric or hybrid vehicles.
Volkswagen, the largest car manufacturer in the world, recently announced it had sold out of electric vehicles in the US and Europe for the rest of 2022.
Ford’s E-Transit sold out before it had even started making them.
Even the most basic (lower specification) version of Tesla’s Model 3 vehicle will now not be delivered for over a year, despite the company being capable of the largest production volumes in the world – a recent halt in production in China notwithstanding.
Current issues have been brought on in part by Covid-19 affecting global supply chains and a shortage of semiconductors, a vital component of modern vehicles.