6 public electric vehicle charging stations to arrive by March month-end – GEA Head

…pushes for private sector to invest, build stations

As part of efforts to put the necessary infrastructure in place to encourage more persons to utilise greener modes of transportation, six new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are expected to arrive in Guyana next month and will be installed across the country.
This was revealed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Dr Mahender Sharma, during a presentation at the International Energy Conference on Thursday in Georgetown. He disclosed that there are some 168 electric vehicles currently in the country – two of which are owned by the GEA.
According to Sharma, Government is investing heavily on the public infrastructure to support the use of these vehicles.
“Government is installing six public charging stations at strategic locations to help this process along…there was a delay from the manufacturer and they are now scheduled to arrive at the end of March,” the GEA Head stated.
Already, the Guyana Government is talking about tax reduction on the installation of these charging stations for private use.
“The idea here is to allow private sector to take advantage of these opportunities to invest and build-in charging stations,” he added.
Last year, a US$141,199.38 contract was awarded to Jamaica-based Flash Motors Company Limited to procure and install the six public EV charging stations.
These charging stations will be located at the Giftland Mall on the East Coast of Demerara; Little Rock Suites in New Amsterdam, Berbice; Big Kiss Parking Lot in Parika; Amazonia Mall, East Bank Demerara; the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in Timehri, and outside of the GEA office on Quamina Street, Georgetown.
According to the GEA Head, the switch to electric vehicles is cost effective.
“Based on our current electricity cost, if I charge that [EV] car on the utility, that works out to just about US$0.04 per kilometre… and if you check, what you pay per kilometre it’s probably about US$0.09 or US$0.10 cents if you use gasoline and diesel,” he explained.
Sharma went on to note that this cost will be further lowered when the cost of electricity is slashed by half upon the operationalisation of the 300-megawatt (MW) power plant as part of Government’s model gas-to-energy initiative.
“And just imagine when we lower the cost of electricity by 50 per cent, what that number looks like for e-mobility,” the GEA Head asserted.
Meanwhile, in addition to the infrastructure to encourage the use of EVs in Guyana, the Government has recently announced the removal of taxes on the importation of electric vehicles as one of the measures in Budget 2023.
The removal of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on electric vehicles applies to new (less than four years old) electric motor vehicles – not hybrid – of any power rating.
Further, to support the investment decision of businesses to switch to more environmentally friendly vehicles, a further increase in the writing down allowance applicable to all-electric motor vehicles to 50 per cent annually has been implemented.
These measures are in keeping with the Guyana Government’s commitment towards development along a low-carbon development pathway.
Additionally, Government has already trained over 25 mechanics and auto electricians to repair and maintain EVs through funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Unlike combustion vehicles, electric vehicles are propelled by electromagnetism and an electric motor. It is charged using electricity, eliminating oil changes and other features distinct to gasoline or diesel vehicles.