KINGSTON, Jamaica — A number of stakeholders in the automobile industry and other interest groups will be leading the way in lobbying the Government of Jamaica to reduce the import duty on electric vehicles coming into the island.

The need for this move came out of last Wednesday’s Electric Vehicle Seminar hosted by JPS and the USAID Caribbean Clean Energy Programme, held at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.  It was recognised that the import duty, as high as over 60 per cent, is prohibitive to the purchase of these vehicles.

“Electric vehicles have a positive contribution to make to our economy,” JPS Senior Vice President of Energy Delivery, Sheree Martin, pointed out. 

“Not only do they have zero emissions, and are therefore good for the environment, but they can also potentially lead to the significant reduction of the fuel import bill which the country now bears,” she added.

In addition to the macro economic benefits of the widespread use of electric vehicles, the benefits to individual owners of electric vehicles are significant, a release from JPS said.

Dr Gary Jackson, Managing Director of Electric Vehicles Limited, explained that his electric vehicle, has allowed him to experience a one-third reduction in the cost of running his vehicle, compared to a gasoline run car. 

Additionally, because the electric vehicle has no internal combustion engine, maintenance is at a minimum compared to a gasoline fuelled car, JPS said.  It further argued that a reduction in the import duty for such vehicles would therefore be beneficial to the average consumer.