Alliance has welcomed a recent report which demonstrates the public's positive attitude towards electric vehicles (EV).

The party's Infrastructure spokesperson, Peter McReynolds MLA, made the comments after the release of the 2022/23 Continuous Household Survey results. The results show that 33 per cent of respondents would 'definitely' or 'strongly consider' an electric vehicle as their next car.

Mr McReynolds said these results "strengthen the argument for more electric vehicle charging points, which Northern Ireland is sadly well known for not having enough of".

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In a statement, Mr McReynolds said:

"Better EV charging infrastructure is something the Alliance Party has long been advocating for. We are seriously concerned that Northern Ireland is falling behind the rest of the UK and Ireland. As it currently stands, the roll out of public EV charging across NI has been plateauing, whilst implementation of chargers elsewhere in the UK and Ireland has been steadily increasing.

"We must continue to improve the pace at which the public EV charging network is delivered. If insufficient progress is made, we are at risk of falling behind our counterparts even further, whilst discouraging widespread adoption of electric vehicles at a time when responding to the climate crisis should be at the forefront of our consideration.

"A restored and reformed Executive is crucial to ensure this vital infrastructure is progressed at pace, for the benefit of our environment and public health."