The University of the West Indies (UWI) has moved to position itself at the forefront of a global shift towards electric mobility (e-mobility), with the official opening Tuesday of an e-mobility laboratory at its Mona campus in Jamaica.

Aimed at advancing sustainable transportation across the Caribbean, the lab is designed to develop solutions that encourage the electrification of various modes of transportation in the region while supporting training, research and innovation.

“This lab will help us, in addition to other partnerships that we have with other entities, it will help us to have that additional hands-on experience here within our departments, but not just for students in our departments, but those from our faculty and the wider campus,” said Dr Louis Harris, senior lecturer in the Department of Physics at UWI, Mona, as he provided an overview of the facility.

Harris explained that the initiative extends beyond undergraduate training, with the university seeking partnerships outside its faculty and institution, noting that opportunities offered by the lab are expected to have far-reaching benefits for society and advance Jamaica’s push towards carbon-free transportation.

The e-mobility lab was established through collaboration among the Department of Physics, the JPS Foundation and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUKN) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

The JPS Foundation, through its partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Lab under the eDrive programme, provided funding of US$75,000.

“With the UWI e-mobility lab, it is a natural extension of the vision behind project e-Drive, as it provides a dedicated space for experimentation, skill-building and collaboration, creating a home for the next generation of engineers, innovators and researchers who will shape Jamaica’s e-mobility transformation and beyond,” said Lisandra Rickards, senior private sector development consultant at IDB Lab.

Meanwhile, Professor Michael Taylor, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at UWI, Mona, said the lab represents a significant step towards low-carbon and climate-resilient transportation in the Caribbean.

“Though we’re opening a lab, it’s not an isolated event. It actually represents structured capacity-building across the entire regional science ecosystem, and that is what we need to support the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient transport and energy systems in the Caribbean,” he said.

Professor Denzil Williams, principal and pro-vice-chancellor of UWI, Mona, said sustainable transportation remains one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, one that universities must help to address.

“One of the big challenges that we have in this very long 21st century is sustainable transportation and we think that, as a university, we must have answers to that part of the challenge as well,” Williams said.

“We are really grateful that, through the leadership of the Faculty of Science and Technology, one of the leading areas of science advocacy within the Caribbean region, we have partnered with GIZ (the German Agency for International Cooperation), JPS [Jamaica Public Service], and others to not only think through, but implement solutions that can help drive sustainable transportation,” he added.

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Jan Hendrik van Thiel, said the project reflects the strong partnership between Germany and UWI.

“This project is very close to our hearts, not only because of the politics, but also because of one of the partners I want to mention, UWI. For us, it is very important to have cooperation in academia and professional training. UWI has become an important partner, which is a fantastic example of the e-mobility lab,” he said.

He placed strong emphasis on the need for practical application alongside theory, noting that while theoretical knowledge is important, combining it with hands-on experience deepens learning and strengthens understanding.

The UWI signed a grant agreement with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on July 15, 2023, enabling the university to implement activities under the programme – supporting the implementation of NDCs in the Caribbean, transforming the transport and energy sectors towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future (NDC-TEC).

Funding support of more than €1 million has been provided through the International Climate Initiative, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), now the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in cooperation with GIZ.

Since 2023, the university has executed several initiatives such as developing two university courses, delivering an e-mobility curriculum for teacher training and conducting introduction to electric vehicle (EV) technologies training in St Lucia, Belize, Jamaica and Suriname.

(L-R) Professor Tannecia Stephenson, deputy dean and co-lead on the implementation of NDCs capacity building initiatives in the Caribbean – transforming the transport and energy sectors towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future (NDC-TEC), GIZ, Professor Densil Williams, Principal and Pro-Vice Chancellor, The UWI, Mona, Damion Obligio, chairman of the JPS Foundation, Jasmin Ellen-Jones, regional country director for GIZ in the Caribbean, Ambassador Professor Dale Webber, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Professor Michael Taylor, dean of the faculty of Science and Technology, Dr Louis-Ray Harris, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI, Mona and co-lead on the implementation of NDCs capacity building initiatives in the Caribbean – transforming the transport and energy sectors towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future (NDC-TEC) during the ribbon cutting of the launch of the e-mobility lab at the University of the West Indies, Mona.