Debunking ICCRA’s Myths

For some time we have been trying to bring attention to disinformation and greenwashing campaigns in Ireland.

As discussions about the Climate Crisis become more commonplace, consumers and citizens are increasingly calling for urgent action on emissions from governments and brands alike.

Sadly, many corporations have chosen profits over ecological ethics, with many corporations funding greenwashing campaigns that tell people they’re being ‘green’ while, in reality they are continuing incredibly harmful practices.

One such greenwashing campaign is ICCRA’s E-Way 2040 Campaign, which seeks to delay Ireland’s emissions regulations by a decade, despite the fact that Ireland had the third highest emissions in the EU in 2019.

While they will tell you that their campaign aims to delay regulations because the government’s goals aren’t realistic, we would suggest that the higher profit margins on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles compared with electric cars might be an influential factor.

An indication of ICCRA’s commitment to this campaign is the appointment of PR agency Weber Shandwick, who are responsible for running the campaign and promoting it in the media. As we have pointed out before – see our article The Problem With PR – they are complicit in promoting the mis-truths of this campaign despite their own website stating “no fake news here, without truth there’s no trust.”

Unfortunately, with the help of Weber Shandwick, this campaign has garnered a large amount of media coverage, with many Irish publications running ICCRA’s claims verbatim without checking them first.

Today we assess and debunk each of the key claims made in ICCRA’s campaign in order to help consumers better understand the ethical choices that they can make when buying a new vehicle, and the impact these choices have on the Climate Crisis.

And find out how you can take action against disinformation campaigns at the bottom of this story.

Please note that, while we strive to always include links to relevant sources, we will not link directly to ICCRA’s campaign in order to stem the spread of disinformation. All the claims made in this article can be found on their website at the time of publication, for which screenshots are provided.

Separating Fact From Fiction

Claim: “Ireland has an aging car fleet: the average age of a car in Ireland is 9 years”

Fact Check: The average car across the EU is 11.5 years old, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (2019). While the age of vehicles is important, as older vehicles tend to have higher levels of harmful emissions, this demonstrates that Ireland’s fleet is relatively young by comparison.

As such, it is worth remembering the motives of an organisation that represents Irish motor dealerships. Finding a reason to sell more cars – however spurious – might just increase their collective profits.

Claim: “While they (internal combustion engine cars) do release emissions, new technological advances mean the levels are getting lower and will disappear altogether by 2030.”

Fact Check: This is incredibly misleading, as it would defy the laws of physics for an ICE not to produce any greenhouse gas emissions – the very nature of burning fuel means that the car will always produce emissions itself.

Their campaign never states what these “new technological advances” might be. However, it is possible that they mean so-called eFuels – which have been demonstrated to be just as harmful to the Climate Crisis as traditional fossil fuels. See our article Exposing eFuels for more.

The sad truth is that in recent years we’ve seen emissions from cars worsening as manufacturers and dealers alike have promoted the sales of SUVs, which accounted for the second largest increase in global carbon emissions between 2010 to 2018.

Promotion of SUVs has been a key focus for Irish car dealers according to ICCRA spokesperson Denis Murphy, who stated the following in a call with IrishEVs: “We call SUVs a family car – because it’s replacing the traditional family car. It’s women with kids. Kids can see out of them, while women feel safer.”

It is also worth noting that the ICCRA website states “…and will could disappear altogether by 2030.” The “could” was added after we contacted ICCRA to point out the scientific inaccuracy of their claims – but it seems their PR agency have forgotten to delete the previous “will”.

See our article The Problem With PR for more about our discussions with ICCRA, Weber Shandwick and the fight back against greenwashing in Ireland.

Claim: “Emissions from domestic transport […] are less significant than agriculture and energy”

Fact Check: While it may be true that Agriculture accounted for more greenhouse gas emissions than transport – contributing 34% of Ireland’s total emissions” – transport accounted for 20%, while energy accounted for just 17% in 2018.

In fact, between them, energy industries, agriculture and transport accounted for 71% of Ireland’s total emissions in 2018, according to the Irish Environmental Protection Agency.

Furthermore, this claim overlooks the unique nature of Ireland’s vehicle usage. We have a higher proportion of diesel vehicles than many other nations, with 69% of the cars on our roads using diesel power, which means we have higher levels of harmful NOX and N2O emissions – as diesels emit around 10 times more N2O than petrol cars.

These greenhouse gases are considerably more potent than CO2 emissions and hang around for longer, doing more damage in the atmosphere. For example, N2O is 298 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years, and can last in our atmosphere for over a century.

Furthermore, this pollution now contributes to 1 in 8 deaths in the EU, according to the European Environmental Agency.

See our Guide to Greenhouse Gases and How EVs Can Save Lives for more on these topics.

Claim: “2040 is when European car manufacturers will stop producing new petrol and diesel cars. This is in line with the Paris Agreement.”

Fact Check: The Paris Agreement does not make mention of emissions from cars in any way, shape or form. Searching official UN Paris Agreement document for the term ‘car’ will not return a single result.

Furthermore, there have been multiple academic studies that have concluded that Europe must stop selling new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars by 2028 in order to limit global warming to 1.5⁰C or less – as set out in the Paris Agreement. See the German Aerospace Centre’s 2018 study for more.

As such, it is highly inaccurate and misleading for ICCRA to claim that ceasing production of ICEs in 2040 is in line with the Paris Agreement. In fact, based on the Carbon Brief’s latest analysis, we’ll have passed 1.5⁰C warming by then and most likely passed the 2⁰C threshold.

Claim: “The motor industry is already moving towards zero emissions. Green, more eco-friendly cars are produced year-after-year.”

Fact Check: While ICE vehicles are cleaner than those produced a decade ago, they are not eco-friendly by any means and this statement does not account for the rise in SUVs.

According to the International Energy Agency (2019), while non-SUV cars saw a 75 megatonne reduction in CO2 between 2010-2018, SUVs accounted for a 544 megatonne increase in CO2 over the same period.

 Car brands are making and marketing vehicles that are actively increasing emissions, and using reporting loopholes to hide the true level of emissions from their vehicles. See our article How Car Makers Are Skirting Emissions Regulations.

Claim: “The Irish government launched their own Climate Action Plan in late 2019. The proposed ban on new ICE cars and a target of one million electric vehicles on Irish roads by 2030 is a big risk.”

Fact Check: The Irish government is not alone in setting a target for ending the sale of ICE sales by 2030, with many other nations setting such deadlines.

In response, we have seen a number of automotive manufacturers state that they will end the production of ICEs from 2030 onwards, while also announcing that they will be increasing the number of EVs that they sell and ramping up production efforts.

Furthermore, it is critically important to remember that Irish citizens took the government to court for inaction on the Climate Crisis and won. The courts found the Irish government guilty of not taking appropriate actions to protect people or the environment from the threat of the Climate Crisis.

A key finding was that the Climate Action Plan did not go far enough.

This has major implications for enacting more meaningful legislation in future, and a number of other countries are taking similar legal action against their governments.

As such, ICCRA’s campaign is at odds with Ireland’s legal system, and jeopardises both human and planetary health by calling for a delay in emissions regulations.

Claim: “Reaching one million EVs by 2030 is unrealistic. Let’s target 2040”

Fact Check: The aim for one million EVs on Irish roads certainly is an ambitious target, but also a necessary and realistic one.

Ireland – like many nations – has seen a rapid rise in EV sales in recent years, despite having come from a standing start.

Last year alone, in the midst of a pandemic and the associated economic downturn, the number of new battery electric vehicles registered in Ireland increased by 16% year-on-year. That’s despite the total number of new car sales dropping by 25% compared to 2019, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.

In the field of technology there is a model known as the Sigmoid Curve. This mathematical concept suggests that the initial response to most technologies will be incredibly slow, but as prices drop and availability increases, there will be rapid adoption.

See our article How Mobile Sales Show EVs Path For Growth for more.  

Claim: “Norway leads the way in this area [EV charging infrastructure]. They have 12,000 charging stations serving 300,000 electric or hybrid vehicles. We are miles off this in Ireland. Based on current plans, we simply will not have the infrastructure to support one million EVs on the roads by 2030.”

Fact Check: Yes, Ireland does need to heavily invest in its charging infrastructure – but investment should be focused on future-proofing and the availability of the right kind of chargers, as our article How Many EV Chargers Does Ireland Need? demonstrates.

Comparisons with Norway – a society that has widespread EV adoption already – aren’t helpful, as they overlook how long it took Norway to reach EV ubiquity, and also the differences between our two nations.

For example, Norway’s has a total land area of 385,207km2, while the entire island of Ireland has a land area of just 84,421km2, so we simply don’t need as many chargers to drive across the entirety of our land mass.

This is further demonstrated by the fact that the average car journey in Ireland is just 14.6km from start to finish.

Where we should be focusing the discussion on EV charging isn’t around the number of EV “charging stations” as ICCRA puts it, but the number of charging points at each hub, and the charging speed that they offer – this is where Ireland can future proof its network and save money.

Remember that the majority of EVs will predominantly be charged at home overnight, as this is both the cheapest and the lowest carbon option.

Claim: “Limited range: electric vehicles have a range of between 200km to 600km.”

Fact Check: The average range of an electric vehicle is ever-increasing as technologies are refined and a wider range of models come to the market.

However, for the majority of Irish drivers a range of 200-600km would more than meet their needs in all circumstances. As we stated above, the average car journey from start to finish is just 14.6km – so for the typical EV on the market today in early 2021, you wouldn’t need to charge it at all for 19 trips.

Even when it comes to long-range drives, it is important that we remember just how small Ireland is. The entire island is only 486km long, and just 275km wide. Sure you might need a quick charge to top-up your range on the way home from driving from the southernmost point to the northernmost, but you would still need to in an ICE.

Fighting the Climate Crisis isn’t about ‘what ifs’, it’s about addressing what we already do, the emissions we already create and working with informed data. And the truth is that few in Ireland would regularly drive a distance where an EV would represent a compromise to their lifestyle.

Claim: “There simply won’t be enough electric vehicles available on the market by 2030 to reach the one million target. Manufacturers say it’s impossible to scale up production quickly enough.”

Fact Check: Since ICCRA launched its campaign in June 2020 we have seen a flood of car manufacturers declaring that they will only produce electric vehicles from the mid-2020s or early-2030s onwards.

This rapid change has reflected the greater demand for EVs from consumers, as well as the great political pressure exerted against governments and brands to take action on the Climate Crisis.

In 2021 alone we have seen General Motors pledge that it will stop making ICEs by 2035 and offer a greater number of electric cars in the next few years, while Ford has publicly stated that it will go all-electric in Europe by 2030, and Jaguar has committed to going “electric-only” from 2025.

What these manufacturers understand – and what ICCRA isn’t telling you – is that the only future for cars is as electric vehicles. Not diesel, not petrol, not hybrid, but battery electric cars that are powered by renewable energy.

Without this approach they will rapidly lose sales and profits, and people will come to see that the only sustainable future is in public transport and better urban design that promotes cycling and pedestrian use.

Claim: “High costs: the average car sold in Ireland in 2019 cost €26,675 while the average price of an EV (excluding grants) was €45,000. The average price of a zero emissions car needs to be in the €27k range to achieve volume sales in the Irish market”

Fact Check: The initial cost of EVs has held back adoption over the past decade, but we are fast approaching the point of price parity with petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles.

This is perfectly illustrated by the number of cheaper EVs being offered by car manufacturers, such as the ID3, ID4, Tesla Model 3, MG5, which shows that this will be a key battleground for consumer attention in the next few years.

However, excluding the grants offered by SEAI hides the true cost to the consumer, which is misleading. The SEAI offers a wide range of grants to support EV adoption, with up to €10,000 savings on the initial purchase price and VRT combined, plus additional funds for installing a home charger. See our Guide to EV Grants for more.

Then, of course, there is the 74% lower average running costs that EV drivers save over those driving an ICE. Once the initial cost to purchase becomes more manageable – and it soon will – people the lower cost to run and own an EV will be a key factor in more people making the switch.

That is, if dealers order enough of them not to drive up the price, as we have seen before.

Claim: “A new petrol or diesel car is a pragmatic way for motorists to reduce their carbon footprint, as we move towards zero emissions by 2040”

Fact Check: This is wilfully untrue and wildly misrepresents decades of clear climate science.

Furthermore, it contradicts ICCRA’s own admission that domestic transport accounts for 20% of all emissions in Ireland – with 10-12% coming directly from the cars that we drive each day.

Worse still, these figures only apply to the emissions coming from the exhaust of cars and do not account for the emissions required to drill, extract, process, transport and deliver fuel. Nor do they include the number of oil spills that occur because of ICE demand, and nor do they include the number of human deaths that occur as a result of air pollution from car emissions – 500,000 early deaths in the EU alone each year.

ICCRA are deliberately not giving you the full picture. They are not telling you that the use of ICEs is causing a huge toll on human life, on public healthcare spending, on the Climate Crisis – and they are not telling you that a viable alternative (EVs) is already available.

Claim: “At present, cars in Ireland are estimated to emit between 10-12% greenhouse gases.”

Fact Check: As a former PR worker, I can spot when a public relations company is putting spin on a story. While the statement above is true, in a way, it has been presented in a highly misleading manner.

This could very easily be read as ‘only 10-12% of the emissions cars produce are greenhouse gases’, when the truth is ‘cars account for 10-12% of all emissions produced by the nation of Ireland.’

There is a big difference between these two, and making a subtle change can make a big difference to how people read that sentence, and how they interpret the meaning of a campaign. This is the role of a PR agency such as Weber Shandwick, to sweeten the pill and make it more palatable to swallow.

Claim: “Denmark made headline in October 2018 when its government announced a similar ban on internal combustion engines by 2030. It was subsequently scrapped because the plan would have breached EU rules.”

Fact Check: Denmark has not scrapped its plans, and instead is leading a coalition of 10 EU nations to implement an EU-wide ban on new ICE sales from 2030.

The multi-party Danish government has also put in place an aggressive ‘green conversion of road transport’ plan, which will prioritise zero emissions vehicles in order to reduce CO2 emissions by 1 million tonnes by 2025 and 2.1 million tonnes by 2030.

While they have changed the wording about banning ICEs, their legislation is the same in all-but-name, and if their pan-EU ban on ICE sales is ratified they will have overcome the only hurdle that made them change the verbiage to get around current EU policy.

Claim: “Confusion in market also hurting supply because motorists are confused as to what to buy next.”

Fact Check: When there are multiple greenwashing campaigns promoting disinformation about electric cars, is it any wonder? We’ll leave it up to our readers who ICCRA and Weber Shandwick might be talking about here.

What Can You Do?

We hope this has been a useful article in illustrating the need for fact-checking campaigns that spuriously claim to be motivated by ethical, Climate Crisis concerns. Sadly much damage has already been done by publications promoting ICCRA and Weber Shandwick’s campaign without digging into the motivations and lack of evidence behind it.

If you have read this far and are unhappy about campaign being run by ICCRA and Weber Shandwick which seeks to delay emissions regulations in Ireland by a decade, we recommend contacting Siobhan Molloy, Managing Director of Weber Shandwick Ireland at smolloy@webershandwick.ie or tweeting @WS_Dublin.

We are dedicated to bringing you the most helpful and most informative articles about electric cars in the context of the Climate Crisis and welcome your questions, article suggestions and comments any time. Visit our Contact page to get in touch.