Freight and Haulage Strategy

Ireland has over almost 204,000 EVs and plugin hybrids on the road at the end of 2025 and Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) provides a range of grants and incentives to the public and businesses to support the uptake of EVs. Additionally, to support the uptake of EVs, ZEVI published the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022 – 2025 and an accompanying implementation plan10 which sets out a pathway for the delivery of EV charge point infrastructure. This Strategy, which will be revised in 2026, will also provide for the rollout of EV infrastructure as required under the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), where a 300% increase in the amount of public recharging infrastructure is targeted for delivery.

particularly efforts to reduce emissions, which have direct implications for energy consumption. This Strategy, along with the other policy measures being pursued as part of the transport decarbonisation pathway will support the achievement of the Government’s energy efficiency and security objectives.

Having regard to strategic energy security risks, this Strategy has a role in helping to restrain national energy use, given its remit in reducing vehicle kilometres travelled. In 2022, as part of its contribution to the development of the National Energy Security Framework, the Department of Transport identified a range of potential transport-related energy efficiency and demand restraint measures as well as likely mechanisms for implementation over three energy constrained scenarios – some of which have been taken into consideration in this Strategy.

The transition to EVs has the potential to make the greatest contribution to tackling emissions from medium to longer journeys, particularly those taken by non-urban captive car users who have no sustainable mobility alternative, and this is recognised in the Strategy. Similarly, electric technology and alternatives are expected to play a significant role in the freight, haulage and logistics sector. In relation to energy efficiency (see below), Ireland was required to achieve energy savings of 40% by 2030. EVs are at least three times more energy efficient than their ICE equivalents.

The ‘Energy Security in Ireland to 2030’ report, which was published in November 2023, provides a roadmap for ensuring a sustainable, affordable and secure energy landscape that balances energy risk and resilience against binding European and domestic energy and climate commitments. This Strategy will support, and align with, the goals of this roadmap.

Freight and Haulage Strategy

Ireland also has ambitious plans for the penetration of renewable transport fuels (including biofuels) into our transport fuel mix. The Renewable Transport Fuel Policy, 2025 – 2027 sets out a pathway to incentivise the supply of renewable transport fuel through annual increases in the renewable transport fuel obligation rate to 2030.

Ireland’s domestic and international road freight sector is an integral part of the economy, with the vast majority of freight movements in Ireland taking place by road. Ambition to increase rail freight in Ireland is considered through the All- Island Strategic Rail Review and also features in this Strategy.

While Ireland will seek to maximise the sizeable contributions to emissions abatement that electrification and renewables can make, this Strategy seeks to target the remaining abatement that is required to achieve the legally binding targets set for transport by 2030.

Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDVs) (including buses and Heavy Goods Vehicles) and Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs), represents 51% of overall road transport emissions in Ireland and without significant intervention, this is likely to grow as economic activity increases over the coming decade. Currently more than 99% of HDV on Irish roads are diesel-fueled. Road freight transport is energy intensive and while electric vehicle technologies are now widely commercially available, they have a significant upfront cost differential when compared to a traditional ICE alternative.

Energy Efficiency and Security

Transport is the largest source of energy consumption in Ireland. For this reason, policies and related targets on energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy security are heavily reliant on effective transport measures,

10 https://assets.gov.ie/300570/4cfc5ab2-fdce-4729-872d-0378919f5e4b.pdf