Drivers of electric vehicles heading to the island’s north coast for New Year’s celebrations will be able to charge up their vehicles at Drax Hall in St Ann, where the first publicly-accessible car charging station is soon to be constructed.
The new station is to be located at Boot Service Station, and is to be followed soon by more charging station options across the island.
In a media release on Sunday, Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) said the development has arisen because Total Jamaica has signed contracts with the power-supply company for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations at four of Total’s locations, beginning with Ironshore in St James by the end of January.
The other charging stations at Total are to be in Manor Park and Harbour View in St Andrew, and Port Antonio in Portland.
Senior Vice President of Generation and Special Projects at JPS, Joseph Williams, said the inclusion of the stakeholders offered a solid first step in creating the infrastructure that is necessary to support the widespread use of electric cars, buses and other vehicles in Jamaica.
“Our stakeholders are an important part of making this programme a reality. These two retailers are a great start – giving us outlets in both the Corporate Area and rural Jamaica. And there is more to come,” he stated.
“We are in discussions with a number of major players in the gasoline retail industry, as well as locations that see high levels of vehicular traffic,” Williams added.
JPS Senior Vice President of Generation and Special Projects, Joseph Williams (left), and CEO of Boot Service Station, Wayne Boothe, sign a contract for the construction of the first publicly-accessible electric vehicle charging station in Jamaica at Boot Service Station in Drax Hall, St Ann. Looking on are JPS Director of Business Development, Dionne Nugent (centre) and co-owner of Boot, Denise Boothe.
Boot’s CEO, Wayne Boothe, said he was excited to be the first gasoline retailer to sign on to have an electric vehicle charging station at his operation. Speaking at a recent contract signing in St Ann, he enthusiastically responded, “Hey! When innovation knocks, the place to find it is at Boot. We will be charging electric cars in the near and foreseeable future. Everything in one Boot!”
Meanwhile, Total’s Managing Director, Christopher Okonmah, expressed pleasure at the development.
‘We are happy to partner with the Jamaica Public Service Company on what we consider a pioneering and conscientious local initiative. This initiative aligns with Total’s global strategy of becoming the responsible energy major, specifically through accelerating the growth of electric vehicle charging business.”
The release said JPS anticipates that by March 2021, the country will have 10 electric vehicle charging stations. In addition to being more environmentally friendly, electric vehicles may also be cheaper to operate than traditional gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles.
