Ireland has set itself the target of making 10% of all road vehicles electric by 2020.

However, this will require capacity to recharge an estimated 250,000 passenger vehicles, J Owen Lewis, chief executive of Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), has said.

He was speaking at the Electric Vehicle and Sustainable Transport conference in Dublin yesterday (February 18th).

Mr Lewis stated that the vehicles require infrastructure that is “not currently in place”.

He said: “This infrastructure also needs to be integrated with a supply of renewable electricity.

“This will require a high level of cooperation between both public and private bodies as has been demonstrated in pilot projects undertaken in other territories.”

He added that the electricity industry will have to play a “vital role” in meeting these targets.

The Electricity Supply Board in Ireland has committed to generating carbon-free electricity by 2035.

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