Mattie McGrath warns EV rollout risks without infrastructure
Mattie McGrath spoke in a debate on amendment number two and related provisions, focusing on electric vehicle infrastructure, battery safety and child labour linked to battery supply chains. He criticised current readiness, raised safety and cost concerns, and warned he would not support the measures.
Main objections
He told the minister the government had "put the cat before the horse" and said the country lacks the necessary infrastructure and battery longevity to underpin a rapid electric vehicle transition. He argued the amendments are well intentioned but premature without charging and support systems in place.
Charging infrastructure and compatibility
McGrath shared anecdotes about charger points being out of action and incompatible connectors. He described a case where a visitor from Dublin could not charge because two chargers were occupied and other charge points would not fit the car, highlighting a lack of universal charging standards and availability.
Battery safety and costs
He recounted incidents including a taxi whose BMW battery suddenly failed and required a new battery that he criticised as "exorbitant prices" ("a new battery was 14 000 and a thousand fitted"). He also described an electric bike battery exploding in a house while not charging and said manufacturers replaced the battery without questions, raising concerns about domestic safety and battery reliability over time.
Child labour and ethical concerns
McGrath raised the ethical issue of cobalt mining and child labour in battery supply chains, saying child labour is being ignored internationally. He urged that these human-rights concerns, alongside safety and infrastructure, must be addressed before advancing legislation on electric vehicles.
Conclusion and stance
He asked the minister to "come clean with the people" about the risks and limitations of current EV technology and infrastructure. On that basis he warned he would not support the measures as they stand and insisted safety and ethical sourcing must be prioritised.
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I too am delighted to speak to amendment number two and related one sent to 16 but it too was infrastructure and for pedal cycles you tell us on CCTV. Minister look we're all in case you tell us with climate change and everything else we are not but we can put the cat before the horse and that's what you've done here put the cat before the horse and the donkey and the genus and the whole lot because we don't have the infrastructure full stop and these amendments are well and good but and it's legislation but the amendment the power pints on there and the battery life isn't there and you know it's grand I got a taxi last night in Dublin it was a hybrid and that they're fine because they keep charging themselves when whatever mechanism whatever I don't understand it exactly but they recharge when they're at a certain speed and when the battery the when the when the when the petrol cuts in they're charging the battery as well other than that like takes place like Connell I met and he will mind me quoting him the famous um footballer Babs Keaton at a funeral recently in Ave Finoran and he came down from Dublin when he's at his electric car and he greeted all the people waiting to go in unless he called me over he said a bit of useless information for you Matty he said he came down to um ordering for he normally charges there and the power pints of the charger was out of action action even the Clown Mill and there's two there in the car park but there was three cars at one and two at the other so he couldn't wait he had to go to his phone and then he was at 20% leaving Al Finoran to go back to Dublin so I said you can stop in um stop in castle there's a motorway service session there no he said there's actually different charge points there it won't fit they won't fit the car I'm driving that's like the mobile phones and they came out years ago and they're still the same all different charges and all different things so is that a fact that they're not universal and you have to be selective what car you have where you bring it to charge I mean that's surely madness now we went to see SIMI yesterday you all met him I'm sure many met him briefing him they have their issues trying to keep garages going and everything else company can't get the cars can't get them they're not simply available there and many new cars of not only electric ones can't be got but I also had a taxi from the city on to me about three months ago shortly after the holidays year 17 car as a BMW and the battery went and he didn't know what happened just stopped in the road so I had to get the AA out or whoever out and they told it away battery was gone just like that no warning and a new battery was 14 000 and a thousand fitted that is exorbitant prices and minister can I ask you a catch to warn about the batteries and about the ingredients in the batteries yes and then him I am and where is this am I in from and you know whatever you have your issues and hang-ups reflect gas your issues and hang-ups about I bring their oil off Barry row your wishes about LNG storage you don't mind child labor child labor I'm shocked and appalled that the people in this house won't even ever refer to child labor that's mining this uh this cobalt for the batteries child labor seven ages of age and this is our new dream industry electric industry on the backs of sweat and blood of children it's sickens the very core of my of my being that this can be totally ignored by yourself and all the uh the the the global hunters and and whatever warriors um warriors and climate change and this happens and we're passing legislation thank you to try and protect our children from from from interference on online this is shocking child labor in 2022 and we turn a blind eye to it internationally turn the blind eye to it so then the next thing minister I was contacted by a good friend of mine I know a businessman Tipperary uh about six weeks ago he's a he's electric bike and he hadn't used it for three or four weeks he had in his in his downstairs kitchen he's upstairs and at two o'clock in the morning an old merciful uh explosion he talked to someone break it in so he's getting dressed to go down when your wife ran down the bike the battery exploded in the bike wasn't on charge or left on charge or overcharged and like that and he did an awful job in getting it covered with coats and trying to get it out into the arms now the manufacturer said away no no questions asked they'd replaced the battery they replaced that place the bike sorry no questions asked don't tell anyone what this cars have exploded uh uh batteries have exploded many places on who should so there are danger in apartments and a danger in in houses like that the whole house could run down his kitchen was quite seriously damaged because i met him at the banjo shows i said i would and he showed me all the pictures of it and everything else so come clean with the people please please come clean with them we're all want to mitigate against the the harmful emissions but come clean and honest with us uh it doesn't we haven't got the infrastructure we haven't got the longevity in in in in the in the charging in the in the batteries people tell me when they're used for a long time for a certain number of miles of prices essentially maybe 20 000 kilometers the battery life uh diminishes quite quickly quite quickly so i mean until we get all the infrastructure in place until we get safety must be paramount paramount and above all else uh the heinous crimes of trial labor should be top of our agenda here we complain about i remember many people complain about nicaragua and sandinistas and god knows every other uh issue in the world has been complained about here self-righteousness shouldn't be happening and well i want to go with effort and and we have a child labor uh making the main ingredient for the batteries so listen i i i could risk my case of that because it's sickening so we won't be supporting these amendments because the whole thing is based on a free card free a con job really and um until you come clean with the people and be honest and truthful and their infrastructure is there and you can guarantee the safety what happened in the man car park they couldn't extinguish the fires what happened with these battery plants that put up around around the country uh and the danger there and the firemen and trained have any equipment to deal with these if they go on fire these massive not massive but a fairly substantial number of batteries in these and the dangers to the neighbors to the to do to the to the firemen and to all and sundry so we need an honest debate here and we need to come clean with the people because i can see uh climate change at the moment is all about controlling our people controlling them and nobody will control them when the battery goes flat when you're on the road a few miles and you're left in the middle of the road and know where to go go
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