Cork City Council has electrified more of its fleet compared to any other local authority across Ireland, with 80 of its 321 fleet of vehicles now changed to EVs (electric vehicles), according to research findings by Geotab, a global leader in connected transportation solutions.
The third annual analysis by Geotab into the EV adoption rates by local authorities, however, reveals that most of them are making slow progress in the zero emissions transition; six out of the 31 organisations included in the analysis have electrified more than 8% of their fleets.
Six local authorities stand out from the crowd in terms of their low emissions mobility strategy – Cork City Council, Fingal County Council (24% – 86 EVs out 357 vehicles), Galway City Council (24% – 20 EVs out of 83 vehicles), Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (12% – 33 EVs out of 268 vehicles), Offaly County Council (9% – 5 EVs out of 56 vehicles) and Dublin City Council (8% – 83 EVs out of 1,035 vehicles).
While Cork City Council has electrified the highest proportion of its fleet, Fingal County Council operates the fleet with the most EVs in the country, as a result of adopting an EV-first procurement policy since 2018, according to a spokesperson for Fingal.
Despite the growing number of EVs on Irish roads, there has been limited adoption by many local authorities, with 21 of those analysed having electrified 5% or less of their fleets. There are some positive signs of change, however, with several local authorities highlighting that EV orders had been placed or that an upgrade of their fleet was planned in the near future.
Analysis by the County and City Management Association has shown that while transport accounted for 21% of local authority energy use and 26% of all emissions in 2020, yet only 4% of the energy efficiency projects reported to date were in transport. This is despite the fact local authority fleet transport emissions need to get to net zero by the year 2050.
While cost is a key factor in slow levels of EV adoption, a separate Geotab study in 2024 ‘Taking Charge – On the road to the EV future’ reviewed how EVs can transform fleets, using data insights from over 1.3M vehicles.
According to the report, over a projected 7-year lifespan of a vehicle, the savings on switching from an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle to an EV could potentially save an average of €12,900 per vehicle.
EV adoption by councils may have been limited to date, yet there’s been significant adoption of telematics by local authorities across Ireland. Telematics allows organisations to record data about their vehicles such as fuel consumption, with the potential to reduce their carbon footprint through more strategic use of their fleet based on the insights gleaned from the technology.
County councils across Donegal, Longford, Fingal, Westmeath, Cavan, Roscommon and Wexford recorded the highest level of usage of telematics with 100%, with their entire fleets using the technology. In contrast to the low adoption levels of EVs, 18 councils that shared details of their telematics usage had at least 60% of the fleet with devices embedded.
Oliver Holt, GEO Sales Manager for UK and Ireland.
Commenting on the analysis, Oliver Holt, Geotab Sales Manager for Ireland & UK, said: “By electrifying one in four of its fleet vehicles, Cork has set the national benchmark for councils across the country and proven the viability of EV adoption at scale in the public sector. Fingal County Council is also to be commended for having more EVs in its fleet than any other council in Ireland.”
He added that despite these highlights, the broader picture shows a pressing need for accelerated action. “With just six out of 31 councils electrifying more than 8% of their fleets, and over two-thirds remaining below 5%, the pace of progress is not aligned with national emissions reduction targets. Given the scale of fleets operated by Ireland’s county and city councils, they have a critical role to play in decarbonising public sector transport infrastructure.”
Noting that while more progress should be made in terms of EV adoption, Holt pointed out that it’s positive to see the widespread usage of telematics across the local authorities.
“This is the crucial tool for them to reduce their carbon footprint as it enables fleet owners to reduce fuel consumption by making strategic decisions like more efficient route planning and eliminating bad practices like idling. By combining the insights from telematics with a commitment to electrification, councils can significantly cut their carbon footprint and operating costs”.
