MONTEGO BAY, St James — As the world moves towards utilising more sustainable and renewable energy in its mobility, CEO of EV Power Jamaica Ltd (Evergo), Wayne McKenzie said Jamaica will see an influx of electric cars in the coming years.

McKenzie made this declaration in an interview with the Jamaica Observer after the commissioning of a new Evergo Jamaica charging station in Ironshore, here on Friday. The new charging station, he shared, is a partnership between Evergo Jamaica and GB Energy.

“The dealers themselves are slowly bringing in charging stations, so I’m expecting that [by] year end we are going to see an exponential growth in hybrids and electric vehicles,” said McKenzie.

The CEO added, “The issue was that nobody had places for them to charge. Now, there are a lot of places so people are getting more comfortable purchasing them, and they are located in places that are very convenient, like restaurants, banks and gas stations.”

With 42 charging stations strategically placed across the island, McKenzie told the Sunday Observer that Evergo Jamaica is committed to playing its part in the “decarbonisation process” by promoting a safer alternative.

Of Evergo Jamaica’s existing charging stations, the CEO pointed out, five are through its partnership with GB Energy. He further noted that both companies were currently working towards establishing four additional charging stations before the end of 2022.

“We have the locations, but we don’t want to disclose them because we are still having discussions and sorting out the contracts,” McKenzie told the Sunday Observer.

For his part, CEO of GB Energy Belza Szabo welcomed the partnership.

“We continue our efforts to facilitate the access to clean energy solutions by supporting the reduction of the nation’s carbon footprint that is aligned with Jamaica’s national energy policy,” he said.

Szabo added: “There is no doubt we will see an increase of electric vehicles in Jamaica [soon]. So as a part of our commitment with constant innovation, we continue to strive towards meeting the needs of our customers.”

While recognising the lack of information resulting in a mistrust of electric cars, McKenzie noted that Evergo was strategic in its operations.

“Our strategy is to put charging stations where people feel comfortable driving. You have two types of vehicles that [would require charging], one is hybrid (which is electric, and gas), and the other is a full electric vehicle,” the CEO explained.

“So, for those that are hybrid, the distance range that these cars can travel are relatively short, between 59 and 75 kilometres. The full electrical vehicle can go up to 300 kilometres. We are putting charging stations between radiuses of 75 kilometres or more, so if you are coming from Kingston, we have charging stations along the way,” he added.

Drivers can also utilise the Evergo application, McKenzie told the Sunday Observer.

“The app will show you where those charging stations are and you can reserve the station, so if you’re measuring your distance and time to drive then you can reserve it for two hours after leaving home. By the time you get to the charging station, you can just plug your car in,” the CEO shared.

With a goal to install some 300 charging stations across the island over a three-year period, McKenzie said that Evergo remained committed to providing a more sustainable means of mobility for Jamaicans.

The CEO noted that utilising more electric cars will also prove cost-effective for Jamaicans.

“If you look at the cost of gasolene versus electricity, it is very cheap. It’s about two-thirds of what you pay for gas,” he stated.

“Electricity in terms of charging will become more affordable, and that’s on the fuel side. On the maintenance side, it’s significantly cheaper because you don’t have much maintenance to do on an electric vehicle. It is just a motor hooked up to the wheels, unlike a conventional internal combustion engine which has a gearbox, engine, start box and a lot of different components that need hands-on maintenance,” he said.