The Caribbean accelerates the deployment of electric vehicles

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May brought many firsts for the electric vehicle sector in Jamaica. In that month, the electric utility launched its first public EV charging facility, and a new market entrant commissioned four additional public charging facilities. Meanwhile, Barbados has become the leading user of electric vehicles per capita in the Caribbean, with more than 430 vehicles on the island's roads. The transportation sector is a major source of fossil fuel consumption in the Caribbean. In Jamaica it represents 37% of fuel consumption; 36% in the Dominican Republic and 33% in Barbados ( IDB, Inter-American Dialogue and OAS , 2020). However, the emerging potential of renewables.

The decrease in battery costs and the implementation of incentives by governments create the opportunity for Caribbean countries to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Electric mobility is gaining C Level Executive List momentum in the Caribbean region as governments are implementing incentives to reduce emissions and electrify the transportation sector. The Caribbean can benefit from up to USD$2.2 billion in fuel savings through a transition to electric vehicles over the next 20 years. Therefore, governments are fostering collaborations with utilities and the private sector to encourage the utilization of these vehicles and charging infrastructure that can support the region's shifts toward full decarbonization.



In the United States, the Biden administration has promised strong commitments to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and substantial investments of $2.25 trillion to promote green energy and decarbonization. One of the administration's focal initiatives is to install more than 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, the deployment of electric buses and rebates for EVs to support electrification, while promoting training standards and installation that will create more than 1 million new jobs. Jamaica's strategies to attract key players and encourage electric mobility In Jamaica, the number of charging ports went from zero to five this year, allowing EV owners to suffer less range anxiety while traveling around the island.