Antigua and Barbuda’s Department of the Environment is proposing new import regulations for motor vehicles to hasten the transition to cleaner energy. They suggest lowering the maximum age limit for imported vehicles to eight years.
This change aims to prevent environmental harm caused by the disposal of older vehicles from major countries like Japan.
Despite the financial allure of cheaper used vehicles, the department emphasizes the long-term environmental impact.
The shift towards eco-friendly transportation is a key focus, reflecting the government’s commitment to sustainability.
Director Diann Black Layne highlights the risks of relying on outdated technology and the challenges of maintaining older vehicles.
The department is also advancing research for the gradual introduction of electric vehicles in government and public transportation fleets.
They’re witnessing a rise in mechanics struggling to repair these new vehicles, leading to a surplus of unusable cars across the country.
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A reputable lady to the services of this environazis.
Keep your nose out from this criminal 2030 agenda.
It’s obvious you know not that tyrant.
Why you never say nothing about the sky spraying? Is good for the humanity? The agriculture? Humans and others living creatures?
So wait, we’re challenged to maintain vehicles but struggle repair the new ones? Make yall mind. The fact is this. EVs are less sustainable and have a far greater impact on the environment traditional ICE cars. They are not as repairable, and thr batteries last only 7 to 12 years, and are not economical to replace. We will end up woth more junk EVs in thr future, and thousands old lithium ion battery packs that cannot be recycled, and will forever poison our environment. Wake up, people.
LMAO…..U sound like the people who argued that Horses are more reliable than engines…Propellers are more reliable than Jet engines….
This is closing the barn door after the horses already let out.
Well overdue .
Driver training and law enforcemnt needed more than ever.
Plenty of those old cars from Japan are sold for very little because the original owner knows the car is a headache and something to be rid of..It gets shipped away and ends its life in a Caribbean junk yard or in some random bushes or garage…The truth is most of the older cars though very affordable they are very harmful to the environment and tend not the last very long. They come with mechanical issues which eventually sucks the money u were saving and then eventually ends up being abandoned or sold for a crackhead price…I see it happen all the time…
You think EV’s are the way to go? Wait till you have to replace the battery. Not only does it cost more than ½ the price of the car but those same batteries are well known to be not environmentally friendly. Dumping them in Cooks will contaminate the immediate area followed by others and eventually the marine area. You already know people in Antigua will not dispose of the batteries responsibly. When all those chemicals leach into the ground many will end up ingesting them from locally grown crops.
If you think the current cars are expensive, wait till you feel the bite of the EV. Where you going to charge up your EV and what is the source of the electricity you’re charging your EV with? I am willing to bet it will be the same fossil fuel diesel generators here.
Your tires won’t last as long because the battery adds even more overall weight to the vehicle and in case you forgot, the shit that we have for “roads” here will wear down the tires even more.
While I’m at it, why does the hypocritic govt make it so hard and expensive for people to want to have and install systems for solar power energy?
Without the proper infrastructure (and we know how govt run here; it will never happen), EV’s are not the way to go
@EV Facts
100%
Well said
Accurate
UK has postponed their ‘all cars must be EV date for many of these reasons’ .. and their renewed oil drilling…
USA also increasing oil drilling
So, Ms Black-Layne & PM, SIDS are known to be minimal polluters and be far advanced in small, effective environmental actions compared to large industrial countries who are global polluters – China, India, USA – who take far less sustainable measures than SIDS in % terms, yet we SIDS bear the brunt of their actions.
It’s financial, the majority of Antiguans cannot afford EV for all reasons EV facts mentions, heck many Antiguans struggle to pay their light bill.
Govt. needs to understand the needs of the hard working people who are struggling to make ends meet and quash this idea from environment division.
Antigua is just an amazing place.!
When we go to these meetings and sign agreements, have we researched the pros and cons of whatever and what’s best for us or are we too small to say anything but just go along with whatever?
How I see it is that we will say and sign on to one thing, yet do otherwise as if we are in a bubble so the world doesn’t know what’s really going on here.
I will just wait and see if this one real happens.
A lack of proper bus system or affordable taxi system (public transportation) is likely the main reason for the high importion of vehicles from countries like Japan.
When you can’t get a bus past 7:00 PM to go from St. John’s to Old Road, that is not go enough! Individuals are going to look into getting their own vehicles. Imagine you work for 8:00 PM at a business establishment located at Ffeyes and you are unable to get to work on time. Imagine you want to enjoy night life and you are unable to get a bus past 8:00 PM and you know you won’t be able to get a transportation home until 5:00 AM the next day.
Getting a car is looking really good right now. People want freedom to move around. With our current transportation system, it’s really not flexible to offer people the mobility they need. Therefore people get cars. The more cars people get, the more old, broken cars are going to be abandoned here as well, continuing the trend.
We need to promote the need for reliable, affordable public transportation. This may help to reduce the need for importation of vehicles as well because people can get around as need.
The younger generation is sometimes looked down upon as “all they buy is cars”, but all they want is freedom. All anyone wants is freedom. Having control over your time is freedom.
I always come straight to the comments of posts like this one. The ignorance that Antiguans immortalize on the internet for the world to see never disappoints lol.
I swear we have to be if not the but definitely top 3 most illiterate and uninformed, nonsense spewing people in the western hemisphere.
I beg you people to please refrain from commenting on topics you have absolutely no tangible evidence or information about because you really do make us all look bad.
My god, these responses were really hard to read knowing they were made by adults.
I will agree with this move on the following conditions:
1. Give scholarships to no less than 15-25 persons annually to service and/or take care of these new Electric Vehicles (EVs). Retraining the mechanics that are working on combustion engines.
2. Allow a total of 17-20% tax on the EVs. No Duty no RRC.
3. No dealer should have exclusivity. The ordinary man should be able to purchase and import his own vehicle.
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