Northern Ireland worst performing UK region for green transport

Rock bottom of a list comprised of 375 local authorities are the drivers in Mid Ulster, where there are just 195 (0.18%) battery electric vehicles and 1,019 (0.93%) hybrid electric out of 109,087 vehicles.

Adding together hybrid and electric vehicles, that amounts to just 1.1%.

Other areas don’t fare much better: Fermanagh & Omagh (1.36%), Causeway Coast & Glens (1.45%), Derry City & Strabane (1.65%), Newry, Mourne & Down (1.66%) and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (1.74%).

Insurance experts Fleetcover requested data from the DVLA to find out which local authorities had the highest percentage of electric/hybrid vehicles, and which ones are the slowest off the starting line.

They carried this study out last year, and this year they again requested data to compare any changes.

The new data covers April 2020-April 2021 — the most recent figures available.

The results from the 375 local authorities showed huge disparities across the UK, with the City of London having 17.73% (almost one in five) of all its vehicles in the electric or hybrid category, while Mid Ulster scored just 1.11%.

Electric vehicle usage has increased in every single local authority in the UK compared to last year’s study.

With rocketing fuel prices, combined with the effects of the cost of living crisis, it seems likely that those figures will grow when figures for 2021-22 become available.

Analysis previously carried out by the Belfast Telegraph revealed that only 1.6% of NI council-owned vehicles were electric despite a ‘climate emergency’ being declared.

Passenger cars and vans contribute to 17% of the UK’s total carbon dioxide emissions, and therefore have an important role to play in meeting future CO2 targets.

Central government and local authorities have a responsibility to lead the way in terms of the transition to green but there is no strategy to do so and targets have not been set.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) said councils in Northern Ireland have been waiting for clarity from the Assembly on climate mitigation legislation and targets since 2008.

NI’s local Climate Act has recently received Royal Assent, so this is an area in which the country is playing catch up and NILGA is confident that ground can be closed.

“Targets will be set shortly, now that we have clarity on the overall policy direction,” a NILGA spokesperson said.

“Despite the absence of government requirements, hypothecated funding or even guidance on this, a number of our councils have taken responsibility for providing low carbon vehicles, for example, Ards and North Down BC have fitted solar panels to their refuse collection vehicles.

“And EV charging stations have been installed at council facilities, vastly improving provision in an area which before this investment had only one council-provided charging point. More recently, our councils have been working in partnership with DfI who are responsible for ensuring there is adequate electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

“At present, provision is inadequate, but it is hoped that this partnership will indeed drive the infrastructure issue forward, thereby improving council take up of electric vehicles.”

She added: “NILGA was a partner in a project with the then 26 district councils in 2003, which saw the first electric vehicle charging facilities put in place in Northern Ireland, but the further development of such facilities has not kept pace with those in GB. Investment in low carbon vehicles — particularly larger vehicles like bin lorries, is much more expensive at present than standard vehicles, and many of our councils are trying to use existing vehicles for longer than usual given increasing financial pressures.”

A DfI spokesperson said the department has been leading on the Transport Working Group (TWG), set up to inform the transport elements of the Executive’s Energy Strategy.

The Energy Strategy, which was published in December 2021, includes actions that need to be taken forward to achieve a cleaner, greener transport system.

“The out workings of the TWG will include consideration of how best to support vehicle decarbonisation.

“This will incorporate the future requirements for publicly available electric vehicle charge points and the Department will work within the framework of the Energy Strategy to ensure a co-ordinated and coherent approach which is focused on assessing and meeting future needs for charging infrastructure in this fast-changing policy area.”