SKILLS-TRAINING institution Jamaican German Automotive School (JAGAS) was the recipient of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at its Maxfield Avenue location in St Andrew, courtesy of the Canadian Government on Tuesday, March 15.

“Canada and Jamaica have been long-standing partners in education, training, development, trade and business. The cooperation programme continues to strengthen and we look forward to continue working with you the Jamaican public and private sectors, as we pursue bilateral relations on international partnership opportunities in new and emerging industries such as climate focus, clean technologies, electric transport and the training associated with these new careers,” Canadian High Commissioner Emina Tudakovic told the guests attending the launch.

Tudakovic was thanked by Professor Alvin Wint, chairman of the board of directors — HEART/NSTA Trust, who explained that the addition of the EV charging station would continue to keep the JAGAS automotive campus a leader in vocational training in Jamaica and across the region.

The donation of the EV charging station will assist students of the educational institution as they train as part of the Train-the-Trainers course designed to develop the next generation of automotive technicians as the sector moves into electrification.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic may have delayed the planned delivery of the EV Mechanics Train-the-Trainers course for 35 mechanics from HEART/NSTA and other technical institutions in Jamaica, we look forward to continuing the Canada-Jamaica EV partnership and to the expected upskilling opportunities resulting from this collaboration,” Tudakovic said.

The Canadian Government worked with Xergy Energy of Canada to complete the project. The EV charging unit is from global technology company ABB and is valued around US$1,200. As a level two charger, it outputs 7.2 kW on the European plug standard.

“It would take a car from empty to full overnight, usually, a typical EV would take 10 hours or less,” explained Xavier Gordon, CEO of Xergy Energy.

Tudakovic highlighted the importance of the charger as Canada is in its own transition to clean energy which began in 2008 with an Electric Vehicle Technology Roadmap.

“It was recognised that for the transition to move forward, four factors would need to come together to ensure the successful delivery of a sustainable and climate-responsive industry. One, total cost of ownership. Two, fuel costs. Three, transformation of the electricity system and four, the charging infrastructure,” she said.

The need for automotive technicians who specialise in the field of EVs could be set to increase in the future as the Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke, in his annual budget presentation on Tuesday, March 8, wants to see 100 per cent of Jamaican vehicles electrically powered to reduce dependence on imported oil. EVs achieved 8.57 per cent of global vehicle sales in 2021. Current predictions are that it could reach 21.6 per cent by 2028 as several major brands like BMW and MINI recently announced they would have 25 EV models by 2025.