December 8, 2022
The electric vehicle sector will receive a boost next year, as energy company JPS, prepares to roll out an additional ten (10) new charging stations for electric vehicles islandwide, over the course of 2023. This initiative will help Jamaica to keep pace with global trends in electric vehicle adoption. The announcement of the new charging stations was made by Business Development Director at JPS, Dionne Nugent, while speaking at the Ministry of Science Energy and Technology’s webinar on Electric Vehicles: Framework for Electric Mobility and Plans for the Charging Networks.
She stated that: “The whole idea is to have a readily available network of chargers that will be able to ensure that wherever you are in Jamaica, from Morant Point to Negril Point, anywhere along those major corridors you will be able to charge.”
Currently, there are 10 cashless, convenient, and easy-to-use “Charge and Go” stations in the country using European standards, being rapid and fast. JPS was the first to install such ports on the island for electric-powered vehicles, which are cheaper to fuel. The ports are located in several towns across the country; Boot Service Station in Draxhall, St Ann; and TotalEnergies in Ironshore, St James, Manor Park and Harbour View in St Andrew; and Port Antonio in Portland, to name a few. Since then, private entities such as resorts and homeowners have installed electric charging ports on their properties.
Additionally, as the country commemorated Energy Week, JPS partnered in the hosting of and Electric Vehicle Expo hosted by the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, dubbed: Regional EV-lution III Electric Vehicle Expo. The expo was held under the theme: “Our Transportation Future is Electric” and staged at the University of the West Indies’ Assembly Hall on Friday, November 25.
Minister of Transportation, Hon. Audley Shaw (centre), observes keenly, as UWI Principal, Professor Dale Webber gets ready to charge an Electric Vehicle. Looking on are (l-r) CEO of Flash Motors, Xavier Gordon; Co-Founder of Flash Motors, Zachary Harding; JPS Director of Business Development, Dionne Nugent (3rd right); Capacity Development Expert at CCREEE, Cherri-Ann Farquharson; and Head of CCREEE, Gary Jackson. The event was the Regional EV-lution III Expo, hosted by the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE).
During that Expo’s opening ceremony, Ms. Nugent also underscored to the students and energy sector leaders in attendance, JPS’ commitment to building a sustainable, electric mobility ecosystem which includes implementing the elements required to ensure the growth and expansion of this emerging industry.
“We also know that our EVs will need to be charged at home, so now we are also working on the standardisation protocols to create safe home charging ports,” informed Nugent.
Minister of Transport and Mining, Audley Shaw, shared that the Government remains dedicated to the goal of transitioning to 35 percent electricity sector renewable energy generation by 2030 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent by 2030. Electric vehicles will assist in achieving these targets.
“The government continues to explore avenues to improve the movement of goods and people in the most efficient and cost-effective ways. We must effect innovative solutions to bring energy consumption to an affordable level for every citizen,” Minister Shaw told the Expo.
The Government has also reduced the importation duties on EVs from 30 to 10 percent and waived registration fees on vehicles that are three years old or less for the next five years. The electrification of the Jamaican transportation sector could potentially save up to US$284M of Jamaica’s GDP.
By 2030, Jamaica will have an estimated 73,000 public and private vehicles using electricity as fuel. According to Roberto Aiello Principal Regional Energy Specialist at the International Development Bank (IDB), “There is a very big traction in the world to move towards electric vehicles. In fact, many main manufacturers are already pledging to ban the manufacturing of internal combustion engines, the earliest one being 2030.”
From the onset, the Company has played an integral role in building the ecosystem for EV mobility by seeking to contribute to the national dialogue with the EV Council and the Office of Utilities Regulation to ready the electrification of transportation.
Ms. Nugent, the Business Development Director for JPS says, “We know the electric mobility future is here, it’s been here for a while, and we are ready to go in this space.”
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