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IrishEVs is a consumer advice website focusing on
electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes c ...
s, renewable energy and the
climate crisis ''Climate crisis'' is a term describing global warming and climate change, and their impacts. The term and the alternative term ''climate emergency'' have been used to describe the threat of global warming to humanity (and their planet), and to ...
in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The site was founded by journalist Tom Spencer, who previously wrote for
Fully Charged Fully Charged is a YouTube channel, podcast, website, and live event focusing on electric vehicles and renewable energy founded by writer, broadcaster and actor Robert Llewellyn. Llewellyn presents many of the episodes with additional present ...
, and has covered a wide range of topics around the role of
car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
s and
transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipel ...
in the context of
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
– with the transport sector accounting for 20% of Ireland's total
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
. IrishEVs has also covered a wide range of renewable energy topics, including
solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic ef ...
,
wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historicall ...
,
energy policy Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to cont ...
,
cycling infrastructure Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by Motor vehicle, motorists are also cycling infrastructu ...
,
just transition Just transition is a framework developed by the trade union movement to encompass a range of social interventions needed to secure workers' rights and livelihoods when economies are shifting to sustainable production, primarily combating climat ...
,
environmental policy Environmental policy is the commitment of an organization or government to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem ...
and
air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different type ...
. IrishEvs publishes stories on a wide range of topics that are cited by mainstream media such as ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country ...
'',
CleanTechnica ''CleanTechnica'' is a US-based website dedicated to aggregating news in clean technology, sustainable energy, and electric vehicles, with a focus on Tesla. Content CleanTechnica publishes stories on a wide range of topics that are cited by ...
, ''
Gizmodo ''Gizmodo'' ( ) is a design, technology, science and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton, and runs on the Kinja platform. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the subsite '' io9'', w ...
'', ''
Jalopnik G/O Media Inc. is an American media holding company that runs ''Gizmodo'', ''Kotaku'', ''Jalopnik'', '' Deadspin'', '' Lifehacker'', ''Jezebel'', ''The Root'', '' The A.V. Club'', ''The Takeout'', ''The Onion'', and ''The Inventory''. Histor ...
'' and
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
. The publication has also contributed to the Oireachtas committee on Climate Action, providing expert input on transport emissions, and led a campaign to introduce
engine idling Idling refers to running a vehicle's engine when the vehicle is not in motion. This commonly occurs when drivers are stopped at a red light, waiting while parked outside a business or residence, or otherwise stationary with the engine running. Wh ...
laws in Ireland.


Just climate transition

The publication has gained particular renown for promoting a
just transition Just transition is a framework developed by the trade union movement to encompass a range of social interventions needed to secure workers' rights and livelihoods when economies are shifting to sustainable production, primarily combating climat ...
in the face of the climate crisis - both at home and abroad. In particularly, IrishEVs has repeatedly called on the Irish government to support lower income families and individuals in adopting electric vehicles. IrishEVs has highlighted the considerable cost gap between the average income and the cost of new electric cars in Ireland, and urged the Irish government to increase incentives while also doing more to import second-hand electric vehicles from the UK to meet demand for affordable EVs - the UK being the only local source of right-hand drive vehicles, and a more mature market in terms of EV adoption. As of November 2021, the average annual salary in Ireland is €49,000, while the average new battery electric vehicle costs €47,300, even after the deduction of up to €10,000 in incentives from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. IrishEVs has led on coverage relating to
electric vehicle conversion In automobile engineering, electric vehicle conversion is the replacement of a car's combustion engine and connected components with an electric motor and batteries, to create an all-electric vehicle (AEV). There are two main aims for converti ...
as part of a just climate transition, where existing internal combustion engine vehicles can be converted to run as pure battery electric vehicles in order to reduce waste which also tackling emissions and providing a supply of affordable second-hand EVs.


Greenwashing reporting

While IrishEVs initially tackled the common myths and misconceptions around
electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quiet ...
s in order to educate the public about their benefits compared to
internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal co ...
vehicles, the site has since gained a reputation for tackling
greenwashing Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on " whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aim ...
in the automotive and fuel industries. The site was the first to break the
Applegreen Applegreen is an Irish company founded in 1992 that operates 620 petrol stations in Ireland, the UK and the US. It is a major petrol retailer in Ireland, and operates convenience stores and motorway service areas. Applegreen's headquarters are ba ...
greenwashing controversy, where the fuel brand had claimed to offset the emissions of its premium fuels, but neglected to inform the public that this did not include the emissions from extraction or refinement – which typically account for up to 40% of the total greenhouse gas emissions from petrol and diesel. Nor did Applegreen's marketing acknowledge that the trees being planted to
carbon offset A carbon offset is a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Offsets are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). One ton of carbon ...
the emissions could take upwards of 30 years to capture the emissions that they claimed. IrishEVs has also been a leading voice in the Irish media about the ecological and climate harm caused by
hybrid vehicle A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids. The basic princi ...
s, and how manufacturers –
Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
in particular – are using greenwashing campaigns to aid their public image without lowering the emissions of their vehicles. A 2020 report found that
carbon emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and l ...
from
plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
vehicles, on average, two-and-a-half times higher than official tests indicate, mirroring the
Volkswagen emissions scandal The Volkswagen emissions scandal, sometimes known as Dieselgate or Emissionsgate, began in September 2015, when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to German automaker V ...
. IrishEVs also played a key role in the reporting of the Astongate greenwashing scandal in 2020, which involved a number of well-known brands spreading misinformation about electric vehicles in the wake of the UK's declaration to end the sale of combustion engine vehicles from 2030. In February 2022, IrishEVs launched the Irish Greenwashing Awards to raise awareness of how commonplace greenwashing had become amongst corporations operating in Ireland, and amongst the Irish press itself, and to call for urgent legislation to protect Irish citizens from brands seeking to profit from the Climate Crisis.


References


External links

* *{{Twitter, IrishEVs Irish news websites Newspaper companies of Ireland Transport websites Climate change Environmental websites