The Isle of Man has set ambitious targets of having 10,000 registered electric vehicles by 2030 and 100% low emissions vehicles by 2050. This has the potential for significantly reducing carbon emissions on Island and is a critical part of the Island’s transition to zero carbon.

There are significant challenges to this target, and in order to achieve this, the Island needs to fund infrastructure and ensure electricity capacity can cope with the increased demand.

In the UK it has already been warned that if adoption of Electric Vehicles grew to the levels seen in some European countries, the UK grid would struggle to cope. The same would be true for the Isle of Man. In scenarios developed by the MUA, peak energy demand is projected to increase by 250% by 2050

The Island can use its natural gas reserves to meet increasing peak energy demand from a growing percentage of electric vehicles on our roads. Revenue from selling natural gas to neighbouring countries, also transitioning to carbon neutrality, can help pay for the infrastructure required for electric vehicles and other significant costs associated with the transition to renewable energy.