Pacific Islands slowly accepting Electric Vehicles
Pacific Islands slowly accepting Electric Vehicles The acceptance and usage of electric vehicles has now slowly become well established in the small Pacific Island nations.
The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are slowly following this trend as, for them, the use of electric vehicles is an important part of a wider plan to make the transport sector more sustainable.
A recent report prepared by external consultant Andrew Campbell with the support of the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) stated that PIC Governments are increasingly considering developing programs and policies to support electric vehicle adoption.
Report features
The report said that in the case of PICs, the uptake of electric vehicles in combination with their charging from electricity comprising a high renewable component could also reduce the importation of fossil fuels, which is currently a heavy financial burden for many PICs.
The uptake of electric vehicles will require significant change as their technologies are new and require new skill sets to support them, charging electric vehicles and the infrastructure used for this is also different.
Mr Campbell in the report said charging electric vehicles also has the potential to stress existing electricity infrastructure, if their introduction is not well planned and managed.
The need for standards with this in mind, the Fourth Pacific Energy and Transport Ministers Meeting in 2019 directed the Secretariat of the Pacific Community to assist members in addressing barriers to electric mobility (emobility) uptake.
E-mobility policy
The Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) has been leading this work to develop a regional e-mobility policy and program with targets for 2030 and 2050, and to address existing barriers in the areas of policy and regulation, knowledge management, qualification/certification, as well as the promotion of investment, entrepreneurship and innovation.
The resulting “Regional Program to Promote Electric Vehicle Markets in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)” identified a need for standards and guidelines that pertain to electric vehicle imports, charging, and retirement.
EV Chargers
Compatibility between chargers and vehicles needs to be established, not to mention various consumer protection considerations. The use of standards has an important part to play in efficiently managing these concerns and risks, and an advantage that PICs enjoy is that there is now a wealth of global information to draw upon in developing appropriate guideline- and standards-based interventions.
As the features that get designed and built into a vehicle stay with that vehicle for life, the first stage in the life of an electric vehicle — the design and build stage — is arguably the most important to get right in terms of realizing safety and function.
PICs normally select from vehicles that have been designed and built to meet the standards prevailing in other markets.
The battery is the main difference, from a recycling point of view, between a fossil-fueled vehicle and an electric vehicle.
While it is important for a circular economy to be developed around lithium-ion batteries, the development of EOL