The Government’s new scrappage scheme for drivers switching to EVs is likely to be massively oversubscribed, a motoring journalist has predicted. 

For many years, the Government has provided a grant of €3,500 for people buying a new electric vehicle (EV). 

However, the State has consistently failed to meet its targets for EVs and has announced a new SEAI scheme, ICE2EV, which will launch on 1st July. 

Applicants must own a car that is 13 years or older and they will be given a €5,000 grant for the purchase of a new EV car. 

Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien has allocated €10 million towards the scheme and 65% of recipients must be rural residents. 

However, motoring journalist Neil Briscoe said “a bit of confusion [has] entered the room” with regards to the exact grant amount. 

“Dealers were told earlier this week that actually it's not just a €5,000 grant that's coming out of that €10 million pot, it's also the existing €3,500 grant that comes from the SEAI,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“So, instead of the 2,000 cars that were being promised by the Minister in an interview, actually it was going to be 1,100 cars thereabouts.”

Whatever dealers were intially led to believe, the Department of Transport's website insists that the new scheme is "additional to the existing €3,500 EV grant administered by the SEAI, bringing total available support up to €8,500 per vehicle."

Ultimately, whether the sum is €5,000 or €8,500, Mr Briscoe predicted that “there's going to be an awful lot more people applying for this grant than are actually going to get it”. 

An electric car charging. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

He added that the scheme already seems to be “incentivising a change in behaviour”. 

“The information we're getting from dealers is that they're seeing people trading in cars that these people would have actually bought under the old previous scrappage scheme, which was way back in 2010, if you can remember back that far,” he said. 

“So, [it] definitely seems to be driving a bit of impetus… towards EVs.”

Mr Briscoe continued that the last two scrappage schemes were “wildly successful” and this one could well be extended. 

“The current assumption is that this scheme will be expanded in time for January,” he said. 

“Obviously January 1st, when the new number plate kicks in, that's when we see the bulk of car sales and new car sales in Ireland every year. 

“So, it'll probably be reintroduced in time for that - but at the moment, we just don't know.” 

Main image: Car scrappage. Picture by: Alamy.com.