Can EV (electric vehicles) address Ireland's CO2 emissions from transport?

In the period 1990–2007, CO2 emissions from Ireland’s Transport sector increased by 181%. It has been proposed that a transition to EV (electrically-powered vehicles) – either BEV (battery-powered) or PHEV (plug-in hybrids) – offers the potential for significant reductions in these emissions. However, the benefits of PHEV – and of plug-in vehicles generally – accrue because some fraction of the fossil fuel normally consumed by the vehicle is displaced by electricity extracted from the national grid. The net benefit therefore depends on many factors, including the characteristics of the electricity generation and distribution system, and the proportion of vkm (vehicle-kilometres) completed under electric power.