Cork City Council has electrified a greater proportion of its fleet than any other local authority, according to a new report.
The research by transport technology company Geotab found that one-in-four of Cork City Council's fleet has been electrified with 80 of its 321 vehicles now an Electric Vehicle (EV).
Fingal County Council has the council fleet with the most EVs in the country. According to Fingal, this is a result of adopting an EV-first procurement policy since 2018.
Galway City Council has a 24% electrification rate, followed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on 12%.
The report shows that just six out of 31 local authorities in the country have electrified more than 8% of their fleets, with 21 of the councils analysed having electrified 5% or less of their fleets.
A number of local authorities said that orders for EVs had been placed or that an upgrade of their fleet was planned in the near future.
Geotab sent a standardised request for data to 31 local authorities, requesting information on their efforts to electrify their fleets.
"By electrifying one in four of its fleet vehicles, Cork has set the national benchmark for councils across the country and proven the viability of EV adoption at scale in the public sector," said Geotab Sales Manager, Ireland & UK Oliver Holt.
"Despite these highlights, the broader picture shows a pressing need for accelerated action."
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"With just six out of 31 councils electrifying more than 8% of their fleets, and over two-thirds remaining below 5%, the pace of progress is not aligned with national emissions reduction targets.
"Given the scale of fleets operated by county and city councils across Ireland, they have a critical role to play in decarbonising public sector transport infrastructure," Mr Holt said.
