JPS looking to roll out car charging stations by next March
Published:Saturday | September 28, 2019 | 12:00 AM
Damion Mitchell, Integration Editor
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah:
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) says it is steadily progressing towards the phased roll-out of public charging stations for electric vehicles across the island by the end of March next year.
The company was hoping to complete the first phase of the programme by December this year.
It is part of a move by the JPS, owned by East-West Power Company, Marubeni Corporation and the Jamaican government, to position itself for an expected take-up of electric vehicles in the Caribbean.
Dionne Nugent, director of business development at JPS, said the construction of the charging stations will be done under a two-phase programme.
She could not immediately state the price tag for the programme to construct the charging stations, saying equipment acquisitions and negotiations were not yet completed.
In the first phase of the programme, the expectation is to construct around ten to 12 charging stations and Nugent said the cost could run in the region of US$1 million (J$136 million).
“Phase one is definitely to put a footprint on the ground that we are here, and then we will use it as an opportunity to assess the performance, the pick-up, the kind of utilisation of the units, to inform phase two,” Nugent told The Gleaner in Salt Lake City during the 2019 Solar Power International trade show attended by more than 8,000 manufacturers, distributors and suppliers in the renewable energy industry.
She also said under phase one, the JPS will own the infrastructure, but there could be a different commercial model for phase two.
“We want to be able to ensure that as many persons as possible can participate in the market,” Nugent said.
In the meantime, she said all the sites for the charging stations have been identified and in another six months when the programme is completed island wide, there should be a station in every major town.
“You should be able to go within 30 kilometres and be able to find a charging station,” Nugent said.
The charging stations will initially be powered by electricity from the grid.
We want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.