I would like to start by stating that the PL has supported the idea of e-mobility since it was first mooted.

While the road ahead might still be a long and tortuous one, which might present as many difficulties as opportunities, we are committed to pursue the road to e-mobility rather than abandoning it. Particularly since we have an extraordinary number of petrol and diesel powered vehicles on the road that is totally disproportionate to our population size; increasingly dense polluting traffic particularly in urban settings; almost total dependence on fossil fuel powered energy; unmeasured climate benchmarks; a far higher average age of cars way above the EU average and traffic itself being a major emitter – second only after our energy power plants.

The memory still lingers when sharp spikes in newly licensed vehicles on the road were interpreted as signs of affluence and improved standard of living, the more dramatic the momentum with which they tended to increase.

But I am here today to share with you my views on the way forward rather than to indulge in any recriminations.

Regardless of whether the public transport reform turned out to be a success or a damp squib, I have always argued that Malta should have first gone for a holistic and comprehensive sustainable transport plan.

When I had asked for such a plan to be tabled in Parliament, the Minister was honest enough to admit that he could not do so since it did not exist.

We will only be burying our heads in the sand if we fail to acknowledge that affordability and battery technology remain two major stumbling blocks regarding e-mobility. Not only in our country but also on the international scene. Hardly any country has managed to meet its targets successfully, even when brand name electric cars were put on the market, with an enhanced driving range and a marginally lower price tag.

Less than two months ago even the German Chancellor acknowledged that her government and country would struggle to reach its target of one million electric cars on its roads by 2020 while insisting that the goal should not be dropped.

Although in Malta we still have a bit less than eight years to go before we are benchmarked on whether we would have achieved our pre-set targets of electric cars on the road or not. I would like to be proved wrong, but I do remain somewhat cautious in sharing the Minister’s optimism that our target remains realistic and attainable.

On the other hand, this might possibly happen through the development of new technologies and sharp drops in market prices.

A more intensive and focused education and information campaign than that underway will also prove to be pivotal in order to dispel any public fears, concerns or unnecessary alarmism that often boils down to sheer misinformation or disinformation.

I am saying so because even in field leader countries elsewhere where attractive tax incentives are already in place, the general feeling is that much more needs to be done to actually encourage people to switch from petrol or diesel to electric vehicles. Particularly since the core issue to address is not purely environmental but also rather psychological and linked to a culture change.

On a positive note, when one bears in mind that countries like Germany are planning to switch to mass production of electric cars within less than five years, in the medium term this could bring along a sea change in public perceptions of e-mobility.

As to the way forward on the local front, while realising that most problems are endemic to the whole e-mobility sector internationally, may I point out the following:

• Delays in concluding the work of the strategy group and publishing its findings and action plan might have slowed down the process further

• It will be important to gauge and monitor how current schemes have worked out in practice, particularly those regarding the scheme that applies to private vehicles bought before the end of this year, as well as government’s declared plans to have some 100 electric charging points installed before the end of this month.

• Concurrent with the promotion of electric cars, we feel that hybrids should be incentivised more, for two main reasons:

1 They already have a market presence and tend to be far more affordable than e-cars at present

2 Having personally driven a hybrid since 2008, I find it makes little sense that, rather than incentivising hybrids effectively, they are currently less affordable than before, since their size is often factored into the equation

? We feel that there should be effective benchmarking of the 30 odd measures or so introduced by government to promote and incentivise the shift to electric cars

? We also support the endeavours to not only calculate energy efficiency differentials, but also to gauge electricity consumption, demand, and charging patterns – which was meant to be carried out by the 24 vehicles or so that were to be made available to help the government test the cars in question and the response to them

? We would also like to know what take up there has been for specialised training courses by car importers in electric cars since this is pivotal before they can actually take a decision to import this type of production

? On the other hand, it remains a matter of concern that we have come to learn of certain companies that actually halted sales and/or sales promotion since the uptake proved to be sluggish and slow

In principle we support the commitment to make Malta the first European country to have a nation-wide charging system, but in order to achieve such a laudable objective not only do we need to have a clear cut plan but also manageable and doable targets and timelines that can be constantly monitored.

Some have cynically dismissed the whole concept of e-cars as gesture politics. I am inclined to disagree even if in some circles this might have been perceived as being mainly meant to encourage a feel good factor.

So long as we are, remain and be in full agreement – as we should be – that this is a move in the right direction, which can only generate positive spin offs and bring along a genuine long term benefit, we need to keep on pursuing this objective without fail or hesitation.

Finally, since we have learnt of on going efforts to develop Malta into a location for projects that can serve as a testbed for the viability of electric vehicles, not only do we fully support such an initiative, but hope that in order to ensure that such potential will not fizzle out, stakeholders – possibly through government itself, at the start – should own this project together with the corporate sector, while progressively phasing out its role over a period of time. So long as it ensures that it will bring all stakeholders on board and that it will have fulfilled its role as a catalyst to bring it about.

We have often criticised certain aspects of the government’s renewable action plan but are in total agreement on greater use of electric vehicles in Malta not only as a means of green commuting but also as a source of RES in transport. After all, the RES Directive also calls for a 10 per cent share of RES in final energy use in the transport sector. Future governments need to build on this.

The challenge is to drive down costs and the way to do this is for the policy maker to set ambitious yet realistic goals while providing the industry with long-term guidelines.

If we need to set any targets these should be to gradually phase in electric mobility, while turning it into the norm of transport – at least for private drivers by say 2050.

Decarbonising our transport system must be one of our medium- to long-term goals.

This article is comprised of excerpts from Mr Brincat’s address to the National Conference on e-Mobility on 28 November, organised by the German-Maltese Business Council; The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Mr Brincat is the main opposition spokesperson for the environment, sustainable development & climate change