Electric Cars In Trinidad & Tobago

[LadyDeath]

Do you think electric cars would ever reach Trinidad and Tobago?

FOR

Ron Milford, chief executive officer (CEO) of Unipet, is all in favour of electric cars, though such vehicles would not need any of his gasolene or diesel.
?A potential importer of electric vehicles has approached me about putting in re-charging points in Unipet service stations and I said we would be interested,? he told Energy Insider. ?As a progressive company, we just can?t say no.?
Indeed, although Milford is a staunch advocate of substituting gasolene and diesel with compressed natural gas (CNG), an initiative the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs (MEEA) is busily promoting, he believes the Trinidad and Tobago vehicle fuel scenario will be steadily moving towards a mix of CNG, electricity, hybrids and, of course, gasolene and diesel.
There are no pure electric vehicles in the country at the moment, as far as is known and there won?t be any until the ?refuelling infrastructure? ? charging points ? can be installed, which is where Unipet and NP will have to come into the picture.Although the Unipet CEO notes that electric vehicles can be plugged into domestic outlets using 110 voltage, its a brave, or foolhardy, motorist who would venture out on to the highways without knowing he could get juiced-up at a service station if necessary.



ON THE OTHER HAND

[h=1]?Hybrid/electric car plan will fail?[/h]

GOVERNMENT failed to convince citizens to convert to compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and the incentives laid out for the importation of hybrid and electrical vehicles by Finance Minister Larry Howai will have the same result.

This is according to president of the Trinidad and Tobago Automotive Dealers? Association (TTADA), Vishram Babwah, who said yesterday he was disappointed in the plans.


In his budget statement, Howai announced that Motor Vehicle tax and VAT relief would be provided on the importation of new and used hybrid and electric-powered cars not more than two years old, as a way of reducing gasoline and diesel consumption.

However, Babwah said: ?It will not make any sense. They (Government) did it in the past with CNG where they gave the same incentives for the CNG vehicles and nobody took it up because it is not feasible and it will not really affect the downward price.

?It will not affect the price so much when you are only taking out a two-year-old vehicle. If they are importing a new car, this will favour them instead of used cars because they will be getting the cars at a wholesale price and we buy used cars in the open market,? he added.

?I really thought with having all the meetings and lobbying for more than three years for hybrid and electric vehicles, they were going to give us six years, because most of the lower and middle income persons, this is what they can afford. These are the people when they purchase these cars it would have had a period of impact on the fuel subsidy,?

Babwah said there was no way the used car dealers would be able to compete with the companies who would be bringing down the new hybrid and electric vehicles since they will be purchasing them directly from the manufacturers at a discounted price.

?If the Government is really serious about having an impact on the fuel subsidy they would not give us two years old. They are still on their CNG agenda and they want to force that down people?s throats because they are not giving the citizens of this country another option right now.

?With the hybrid and electrical vehicles the Government would not have to spend one cent of the taxpayers? dollar to build infrastructure, so why not give it a fair chance.?

Keith Sankar, president of the Siparia Chamber of Commerce, said: ?The present car prices are high. There is too much taxation. It should have a reduction in taxes for vehicles across the board. The poor man cannot buy those vehicles.?

 

[Mad racer]

Electric car as you the latest technology and people are mostly inspire from it.So its a good that these cars come in Trinidad so people are updated with the latest technology.