Countries such as Norway, Iceland, and Sweden have taken the lead in the international marketplace as it relates to electric vehicle (EV) adoption. At the forefront of this revolution, Norway boasts a 49% acceptance and usage rate amongst its citizens.
Other countries such as the USA have been attempting to replicate these results, however, at ~ 1% adoption they still have among the way to go.
The reality is that the transportation sector makes up the principle amount of emissions released into the atmosphere. To this note, government lawmakers are implementing policies in order to progress the development and adoption of this industry.
Government of Jamaica
In the local context, car manufacturers currently do not provide much support to Jamaica for the use of electric cars. When we look at the realities, this actually makes sense as up until 2019, there aren’t any public places for EV owners to charge their vehicles. This, however, is expected to change in the short terms as the government of Jamaica has shifted its focus in order to develop an EV policy. This would allow the necessary infrastructure to be set up which would support the EV ecosystem i.e. charging stations, island-wide.
Why make the switch to an Electric Vehicle?
Savings
EV owners are able to reduce their fuel bills by more than 66% by running their vehicles on electricity vs automotive gas
EVs are constructed with much less moving components. This will subsequently lead to less maintenance costs over the lifetime usage of the vehicle.
Environment
Less pollution – EV vehicles release 0 emissions. Not only with this benefit the environment as a whole, but the air in our cities will be cleaner to breathe if EV adoption rates increased.
Environmentally friendly materials – Many of the EV’s in production today are making use of recycled materials to incorporate into the productions process.
Renewable energy – As an EV owner, you will be able to decide where your energy comes from. In many cases PV solar panels are built into EV charging stations.
