The Cabinet-appointed Working Group for Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Policy in Antigua and Barbuda convened its first meeting last week, chaired by Ambassador Clarence Pilgrim, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade.
Ambassador Pilgrim underscored the transportation sector’s role in greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the urgent need for a transition to cleaner, energy-efficient alternatives. He noted that as a small island developing state, Antigua and Barbuda faces heightened vulnerability to climate change, making this initiative crucial for fulfilling international climate commitments and safeguarding the environment for future generations.
With approximately 45,000 fossil fuel vehicles registered, Pilgrim linked road deterioration to vehicle weight and emphasized the alignment of this policy effort with Sustainable Development Goal 7, promoting sustainable energy access.
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So basically they’ll start banning the only kinds of vehicles most people can afford so we can make the sun stop being hot and the wind stop blowing
The truth is deterioration of the roads are mostly due to rainfall, poor drainage and the heavy-duty vehicle. Increase number of vehicles on the road may have some impact but the greater impact certainly remains those factors especially with the increases in construction activities. That said, the EVs or Hybrids would actually exacerbate the issue if they were positing that the increased number of imported vehicles would be a significant contributor, given that EVs are 30% heavier than ICE vehicles given the battery packs and hybrids would be between 15 to 20% heavier on average.
This sounds like we may be compounded the issue through the increased use of these vehicles. Instead, the focus should be in relation to the carbon footprint (albeit minute in comparison to developed nations) and the economic benefit to the consumer. This however assumes the requisite infrastructure and reduced costs of importing charging stations etc. which would require government involvement.
Let us see where this goes.
What am I hearing. This sounds utterly ridiculous. Is no one doing there homework. We can barely supply proper electricity to the Island. I live in an middle to upper class neighborhood and power is always going out, and that’s just the beginning.
The electric car is almost at its end. The development of hydrogen cars is already on its way. Please read up on it if you are in this working group. Experts have already determined the days of electric cars are numbered. Also, who has the thousands of dollars to buy a new battery every 2 to 3 years with an average electric car battery costing up to 20,000 US dollars. Does that seem realistic with the current financial situation of Antiguans today. Where will you dispose of the old batteries? they are not recyclable. So how good is it really for our environment. Right now the US is facing this same issue, what to do with their old batteries.
As for fossil fuel cars damaging the roads. Who ever wrote the speech for this lady is either ignorant or or has little respect for the intelligence of Antiguans. In either case they should be fired for that stupidity. I guess the developed countries must have a patent on proper road building. All we need is proper material, a qualified engineer, and a forman that is not to busy with other things, to do his or her job. And yes, let’s start with proper drainage. It rains alot more in other places not to mention heavy snow and frost.
Please, let’s learn to walk before we run people.
It’s more money for the Hadeed Groups all around. They’ll have a share of the car market and they’ll increase their profits from the additional usage of electricity.
Maybe the government can dump all the abandoned fossil fuel guzzlers next to Bird Island to extend the island then claim it as theirs.
I think an engineering board committee should set policy for electric vehicle and not incompetent politicians, who is always playing to someone interest.
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