There is still a long road ahead before the average Barbadian can comfortably afford electric vehicles because of prohibitive costs.
But founder and managing director of Mega Power Ltd, Joanna Edghill, said companies were choosing the electric option, with the majority of sales from businesses which swapped their fuel-powered fleets for electric vehicles since the company’s launch four years ago.
“Repeat business, and business to business sales, is kind of on the peak. But I’d say it’s still a little bit too expensive for your average Bajan consumer, and I’d say that’s a shame. That’s what we would like to bring down to encourage individual Barbadians to be able to own the vehicles,” said Edghill at Government Headquarters yesterday, where the Division of Energy and Telecommunications launched the Electric Vehicle Pilot project.
She said electric vehicles could start at $90 000 and go up to $105 000. There were six taxes attached at the moment: the two per cent foreign exchange tax on imported goods, excise duty, import tax, National Social Responsibility Levy, value added tax (VAT) and road tax.
The project will see eight Government departments having access to three cars and five vans, powered by solar photovoltaic systems. It falls under the Division’s Public Sector Smart Energy Programme, which has a budget of almost $50 million split between the European Commission and the Inter-American Development Bank. The objective is to promote low-carbon transportation technologies within the public service.
Despite the costs, Edghill said the project was a step in the right direction.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Energy and Telecommunications, Senator Darcy Boyce, said that in addition to the eight vehicles, there were plans for two electric buses to run on a few routes.
“My hope is that we also get a couple of electric vehicles that can be used in commerce or construction that we are able to see how we perform under those conditions as well.
“We need to have a broad range of information so that when we make policy it is not hodge-podge or bits and pieces, but it’s based on a whole range of electric vehicles that we have,” he said.
The pilot would also be used to help Government reduce its fuel bill and compile information to develop future energy policies.
The units to benefit include the Division of Energy and Telecommunications, Ministry of Housing and Lands, Transport and Works, Environment and Drainage, Ministry of Education, Office of the Attorney General (Financial Intelligence Unit), Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and the Barbados Defence Force. (TG)
