The Potential of E-Mobility in the Caribbean
Electric Mobility in the Caribbean
== The Potential of E-Mobility integration in CARICOM Member States
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technical Assistance (REETA) Programme, which is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) is supporting the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in its efforts to making a shift toward greater utilization of sustainable energy options. The energy security challenges of Caribbean countries, linked to their disproportionate dependence on imported fossil fuels are well known, articulated, and especially in the context of their status as Small Island Development States (SIDS). All 15 CARICOM member countries have recognized the importance of increasing energy security and have developed energy policy including targets for renewable energies (RE) and energy efficiency (EE). The transport sector has a significant impact on fuel dependency and CO2 emissions the potential for electric mobility in the Caribbean. Therefore the potential for E-Mobility has been assessed more in detail to i) provide a substantial information base for regional and national policy makers and ii) to provide further market information to the private sector. In this section, you’ll find more information about the potentials of integrating E-Mobility into the transport and energy systems of the Caribbean Islands. E-Mobility in this case refers not only to electric cars but to all transport modes (on road, rail, water, air). The analysis reflects on the following aspects:
Current status of E-Mobility in the region (number of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, initiatives, regulations, standards);
Plans and strategies of the different countries in the (electric) transport and energy sector;
Estimation of realistic application areas and market segments – from individual (cars, bikes, trikes, etc.) to public transport (buses, taxis, car sharing, bike sharing), from private to commercial to municipal fleets;
Analysis of relevant players;
Potential for scaling up of electric vehicles and their sustainable integration into the future transport and energy systems (challenges and opportunities);
Exploration of relevant energy laws, promotion programmes and subsidies;
Analysis of the political framework and funding conditions.
Why E-Mobility in the Caribbean?
The transportation sector within the Caribbean region has a significant impact on all sectors of both domestic and regional economies. While the transport sector is responsible for 25% of the global primary energy consumption, in most CARICOM member states transportation accounts for a share of total energy consumption which far exceeds that of the global average. For example in 2012 St. Lucia was reported as having 63% of its total energy consumption attributed to the transport sector. While more sustainable transport sector measures provide an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollutants and even noise pollution, increased energy security and decreased imports of fuel can be anticipated in the Caribbean region, thus reducing their vulnerability to the vagaries of the international oil markets. Electric mobility is one option which provides opportunity to reduce these negative effects particularly if the electricity supply is generated from indigenous renewable energy sources.
While studies have been done on the potential of an electric mobility transition in many regions of the world, the potential of integrating large-scale electric transportation into both energy and transportation systems in Caribbean islands is unknown. Categorized as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) the Caribbean islands are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. While the last few decades have seen remarkable efforts in climate change mitigation actions such as the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures to reducing the carbon footprint in the region, extensive focus has not been given to the transport sector. Considering the anticipated favourable conditions such as comparatively short distances and proven high potential for renewable energy, the potential of electric mobility in the region will be investigated.
