Minister of State Seán Canney received a warning from Department of Transport officials not to attend a Tesla event earlier this year celebrating the car manufacturer's 10,000th sale in Ireland. The Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVIreland) office advised Mr. Canney that ministers should avoid meeting with 'individual car manufacturers'. Instead, Tesla representatives met with ZEVI officials at the department's offices on February 25th.

The EV Industry Insights Forum event, initially scheduled at the Tesla center in Cork on February 25th, was later rescheduled to March 14th.

The invitation to Mr. Canney, an Independent TD and Minister of State at the Department of Transport, was extended by Melanie Naughton, Tesla's country manager for Ireland, in February, shortly after his appointment. Ms. Naughton congratulated him on his new role and invited him to the event.

Two weeks prior to the invitation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk faced controversy for a gesture that some interpreted as a fascist salute at an event celebrating President Donald Trump's second inauguration in January. Mr. Musk recently stepped down from his role in the US government efficiency department, which he had joined to reduce federal government funding.

The invitation to Mr. Canney came before the start of the 'Tesla takedown' movement in the US, which targeted garages selling Tesla cars.

In her letter to Mr. Canney, Ms. Naughton mentioned that the milestone event would feature insights from industry leaders and innovators to discuss progress in the electric vehicle sector. She requested a short speech from Mr. Canney on his departmental priorities and ambitions for the electric vehicle industry.

Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the invitation was forwarded by Mr. Canney's office to the ZEVIreland section of the Department of Transport. In response, ZEVIreland advised against ministers meeting with individual car manufacturers.

Meeting minutes indicated discussions on Tesla Ireland, vehicle demand, and charging infrastructure. ZEVI provided an overview of its national road EV charging plan and the national road grant scheme during the meeting.

Mr. Canney's office did not provide a comment on the situation when requested.