Energy Agency to recommend electric vehicle for every Gov’t ministry, agency

With the arrival and testing of the Government’s first electric vehicle, the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) is to recommend that the vehicles be placed in every Government ministry and agency.

The Government’s electric vehicle is a Nissan Leaf 2019 model, bought at a cost of $10.6 million, taxes included.

Dr Mahender Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of GEA, has been driving the vehicle for the past three weeks.

“We have been very pleased with the experience of this vehicle,” Sharma stated during a demonstration exercise on the tarmac of the National Cultural Centre.

“I have been driving it with AC for the last three weeks and I have been getting about 144 km on a single charge,” he stated.

According to the GEA, the vehicle can make a round trip from Georgetown to Rosignol safely on a fully charged battery as a full charge gives 150 miles of driving.  Charging of the vehicle is done by a charger installed at the GEA’s office in Georgetown.

The GEA procured the vehicle as part of its mandate to carry out research into more efficient ways of utilising energy.

The GEA has a solar photovoltaic system installed at its head office. Charging the electric vehicle on a non-working day, such as Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays, will utilise energy solely from the sun.

The Guyana Energy Agency will yet still monitor usage, charging requirements and benefits of the electric vehicle with the objective of advising government entities on the applicability at e-mobility at government entities.

“It’s a start of a process. From this, we will do a lot of data logging on how it works, how cost-effective it is… so therefore obviously with this data, the background that we have here we would be able to see if it’s economically feasible to convert more and more of our fleet into electric vehicles and then obviously we would move on to bigger things like public transportation if it’s feasible,” said David Patterson, Minister of Public Infrastructure.

When compared to a Suzuki Vitara, powered by gasoline, Dr Sharma noted that the Vitara costs him about $50.00 per km while the Electric Vehicle when calculated in electricity costs, amounted to $10.00 per km.