An Ireland South Member of the European Parliament (MEP) says new EU proposals for hire cars would hurt tourism in Kerry.
MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú is concerned that a new European Commission proposal will lead to a shortage of rental cars in Ireland.
The commission’s existing target is for all new cars registered on or after January 2035 to have zero emissions.
It is now considering introducing mandatory electric vehicle quotas for large-company corporate fleets before this 2035 deadline.
This would include hire cars as well as company cars, commercial, and lease vehicles.
This proposal would mean rental car companies would have to switch their fleets to electric vehicles (EVs) sooner than the 2035 deadline.
MEP Ní Mhurchú claims this could lead to a shortage of rental cars in Ireland, which would also force costs up for tourists.
She says Irish tourism depends heavily on rental cars to allow visitors travel to remote parts of Ireland, where there isn’t ready access to charging facilities.
The Fianna Fáil MEP believes tourists would depend on public charging points, of which there are very few in rural and remote areas.
She says this will have a knock-on effect on places like Kerry, which tourists can easily visit at present because of access to affordable rental cars.
MEP Ní Mhurchú claims the car rental industry in Ireland is not equipped for such a dramatic change in such a short timeframe.
52% of all car rentals in Ireland originate from Dublin airport but she claims car rental operators there have no charging capacity.
She says this proposal would put the cart before the horse and would hurt rural tourism and cost jobs.
The European Commission’s proposal states any legislation would have to take regional specificities into account.
MEP Ní Mhurchú has called on the EU Commission to clarify their proposal:
