The Irish Government has today signed a deal with Toyota to trial the Prius plug-in hybrid ahead of its launch in 2012.
Three of the new lithium-ion battery powered vehicles will be based in Ireland and made available to leading companies including RTE, Vodafone, Hewlett Packard, Bank of Ireland, Google and Coca-Cola to try out.
Toyota will work with Ireland’s leading utility, Electricity Supply Board (ESB), to share information on the specifications and requirements of recharging infrastructure. ESB has plans to roll out 2000 domestic and 1500 on-street charging points across Ireland.
“The Government is committed to positioning Ireland as a global test-site for companies like Toyota to trial their vehicles and ascertain market conditions, prior to full delivery,” says Energy Minister Eamon Ryan.
“Ireland is the perfect location for electric vehicle roll-out. As an island location with ideal driving distances, abundant wind power and successful technology industry, it makes sense to develop electric vehicles as a real alternative,” he adds.
Ireland has set a target of 10% electric motoring by 2020 – equivalent to around 225,000 vehicles, and will start providing grants of €5000 towards the purchase of electric vehicles starting in January.
The Government has also signed agreements with Nissan-Renault and Mitsubishi to trial electric vehicles in the country.