In December, the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said the Government is “on track” to reach its target of having 950,000 electric vehicles by the end of the decade. According to the Irish Bulletin of Vehicle and Driver Statistics, on December 31st, 2021 there were 23,333 all-electric vehicles on the Irish fleet.
Hassane El-Khoury, chief executive of US-based chipmaker Onsemi, told the Financial Times last month that it had already “sold out” of silicon carbide chips , advanced power semiconductors largely used in electric cars, at least to the end of 2023 because of strong demand. Jochen Hanebeck, chief executive of auto chip producer Infineon, made a similar warning about supplies at an event in Munich recently. “I do expect quite a long-time shortage,” he said. Carmakers are also bracing themselves for problems. Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest automaker by sales, has said chip constraints will continue to haunt the auto industry next year.
Toyota was the best-selling car brand, with 16,051 registrations, ahead of Hyundai with 12,709, Volkswagen with 11,739 and Kia with 7,942. Audi was the best-selling premium brand with 4,333 registrations for the year, ahead of BMW with 4,088 and Mercedes-Benz with 3,769.