Tom Spencer of IrishEVs on the benefits of electric vehicles

Tom Spencer is a PR executive for IrishEVs, a website that is specifically targeted at those who are new to electric vehicles, and whose objective is to show people that making the change is easier than they might think.

I spoke with Tom about his own background and career, as well as the impact that Irish EVs is hoping to make on society.

Beginning with his background, Tom discussed how the turbulent economic period of the late 2000s influenced his move into PR from journalism.

I studied English at university and wanted to get into publishing or journalism – two industries that were in decline in 2009 when I graduated. I was lucky enough to start my career at a small publication which publicised the latest scientific research, and rose up to become Editor within a few years, conducting interviews with academics across the fields of healthcare, quantum mechanics and renewable energy.

I realised in this role I greatly enjoyed taking complex ideas and making them accessible and easy to understand. Sadly, as the industry became more turbulent, I took the path that many journalists do and moved into the world of PR”.

He spoke of how his move to PR was necessary for him to be in the position, and have the ideals that he does now.

“While it didn’t necessarily seem logical at the time, I can now see a more consistent progression through my career. My work in PR helped me to combine my passion for renewable technology and motorsport, and I spent several years working in FIA Formula E – an all-electric motorsport series that seeks to make electric vehicles accessible and exciting in order to increase adoption.

I worked as the Communications Manager for several teams and was responsible for managing our media output, our social media channels, managing sponsor relations, and, most importantly, working with the fans to help them better understand the sport and the technology behind our cars. This helped me to better understand the common misconceptions around electric vehicles.

I wanted to put my experiences and knowledge to good use here in Ireland to help people make better-informed choices about buying electric cars – and the benefits that they offer to people and in the fight against climate change”.

Tom Spencer on Irish EV’s launch and activities

We moved on to speak about the last year, and what Tom considered his biggest achievements:

“Launching in the first place still feels like a big win with how 2020 has panned out, but in truth, the biggest development has been seeing the growing number of people coming to IrishEVs and the feedback that we’ve had about changing misconceptions about electric vehicles”.

He expressed his delight at being able to work with a wide variety of collaborators:

“It’s been great to collaborate with a wide range of companies on developing content and campaigns – from vehicle manufacturers to industry bodies and sustainability campaigners. There’s a lot to come from us in the next few months.

We’ve also had some successes in the press and on social media with a campaign we launched to introduce engine idling awareness programmes and regulations in Ireland, and feel that we’re making a difference by starting new conversations at a time when there is great urgency to tackle Ireland’s terrible emissions record”.

In terms of what he could change, Tom spoke of wishing he could’ve started IrishEVs sooner, due to it being such an important issue.

“In truth, I wish I’d launched IrishEVs earlier. There are too many myths in Ireland about electric cars, and that is stopping us from tackling our emissions crisis and a lot of this apprehension comes from the misguided advice of previous governments about diesel adoption, which has left a lot of people with a sour taste and a distrust. With the conversations that we’ve had in such a short space of time.”,

He believes that if they had launched sooner, they would’ve had an even greater impact due to the various ideas that they could raise.

“If we’d launched earlier we could have made a bigger impact on overcoming the biggest obstacles to EV adoption, namely; misinformation around hybrids being sustainable (which is not true), reducing or eradicating VRT and VAT on new EVs, and tackling common misconceptions about electric cars such as range anxiety, or that they can’t drive in the rain”.

IrishEVs’s purpose

We then spoke about his initial reasons for getting involved with EVs in the first place.

I’ve always been a fan of cars and motorsport, but increasingly they have felt out of touch with the growing climate crisis.

I love the rapid development of this technology and wanted to use my communications background to help people understand why these vehicles are so important and to cut through the common myths around them.
I truly believe that the only obstacle to adoption is greater understanding – as we fear things that are new to us, or which seem complicated. With a background in scientific writing and communications, I hope I can make an impact in helping people to see the ecological and financial benefits of converting to electric vehicles for the benefit of us all”.

He believes the idea is a powerful one, due to the positive effect on our daily environment it could have.

“We’re all aware that we need to change our lifestyles in the face of climate change, but it is easy to feel like a rabbit trapped in the headlights when it comes to doing something about it. For most of us, the largest contributor to our carbon footprint is our car – so switching to an EV could making going green feel much more manageable, and have a big impact straight away”.

He spoke of how transport is the biggest source of CO2 in Ireland, and through electric cars, this alarming fact can change.

According to the SEAI, transport is the biggest source of CO2 emissions in Ireland, accounting for 40% of all energy-related emissions in 2018 –the majority of which is generated by cars. Electric cars are a very important stepping stone to a greener future, and averting the climate crisis that we’re already witnessing.

If everyone in Ireland stopped driving a petrol or diesel car and switched to a battery electric vehicle tomorrow, we could reduce our transport emissions by 40%. By running electric cars from renewable energy, we can essentially have the same convenience that we do today, but with zero emissions and at a fraction of the cost. This also has a huge impact on public health, with over 500,000 early deaths across the EU attributed to car emissions so going EV has a huge impact from the second you switch”.

In terms of EV’s being implemented in Ireland. Tom admitted that we are behind the curve:

“Sadly Ireland is behind the curve in terms of EV adoption and much of this can be attributed to the uniquely high rates of VAT and VRT placed on electric cars sold here. These taxes have made them too expensive for the average person to make the switch. Previous government campaigns promoting diesel as the “greener” option has also led to mistrust amongst consumers, as they’ve seen their investment and trust eroded due to misinformation”.

However, he believes that the time to make the change is now, and for more pressure to be placed on political parties to make the change.

“I truly believe 2020 will be the catalyst for change. Ireland is due to miss its EU emissions target this year, which will result in a considerable fine and greater political pressure to take action. Alongside this, other governments, such as Germany, understand the significant role that EVs can play in lowering emissions in the short term, resulting in them offering considerably subsidies to make electric cars much more affordable. Simply put, Ireland can’t afford to be left behind or have its inaction exposed by the policies adopted by other countries”.

Before we finished, Tom spoke about his inspirations, and what inspires him to do the work he does:

“The next generation is a real inspiration for me they’re the ones who are raising awareness through Fridays for the Future protests, petitioning political leaders, calling for new approaches. Being in my early thirties, I only just feel like I can make an impact on the world, but the next generation has shown that you don’t have to wait your turn and we haven’t got long to make a difference on climate change, so there’s no time to wait around”.

If you would like to learn more about IrishEVs, the website can be accessed here: The whole intention of IrishEVs is to be interactive and informative, so people can get in touch with us on Twitter via @IrishEVs or via our website www.irishevs.com.</

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