ELECTRIC CARS
The first public charger on the island and the most remote in the world. On the Atlantic island, an electric car offensive has been launched with the goal of becoming completely electric.
How would you feel behind the wheel if you knew there was only one charger within a 270 mile radius? That’s how far it is from St. Helena’s first and only public electric car charger to the nearest ditto.
The British territory, a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic, may be best known for being Napoleon’s exile, but it now wants to be known for something else. Namely to become an island powered by renewable electricity.
As a step in that direction, a charging station now shines in the hope that the 5,000 inhabitants will now abandon their aging cars with fossil fuels. In addition to the local government, the Norwegian charging box manufacturer Easee and the car brand Subaru are also behind the project.
The charger, an Easee Charge with a capacity of 22 kW, has been installed at the museum in Jamestown and for this the island also has a brand new Subaru Solterra. In addition to this, there are already four older electric cars on the island.
The proponents believe that Saint Helena has extremely favorable conditions to cope with the transition and abandon fossil energy sources. It is windy and sunny for large parts of the year and the temperatures are stable and pleasant.
Of the island’s around 5,000 inhabitants, 25 percent of their electricity already comes from a small wind turbine and a small solar cell installation.
– We spend around £5 million a year on shipping in diesel. But it is not only about the cost of the fuel, but also of the transport to get it here and then of the storage. Therefore, we are looking at the transition to a more renewable energy production. We want to get up to 80 percent by 2028, says Mark Brooks, Minister of Economy on the island.
Saint Helena is one of several islands in the world that invests in changing. In a project, Greek Astypalea aims to phase out fossil-fueled vehicles from the island. There, it has been changed so that almost all new cars that are registered are electric and by 2026, 80 percent of the island’s electricity needs will be covered by a solar power park and a system with energy storage.
Danish Samsø also has electricity production that is fully renewable. However, unlike the two examples above, they have an electricity line to the mainland that supplies the island with electricity when or if it is needed.
Source: www.nyteknik.se
