Tiny British island installs world’s most remote EV charger in push to go all electric
A TINY British island has installed the world’s most remote electric vehicle charger in a push to switch entirely to EVs.
Installing the most remote public electric vehicle charging point is just the start for the British territory that is home to just over 5000 people.
St Helena, the remote volcanic island found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, has seen a sustainable step in the right direction.
The ambitious plan is part of moving towards sustainable power and zero-emission transport by the end of this decade.
Currently, St Helena only has four electric vehicles on the island and a quarter of energy used comes from a wind and solar farm.
The remainder comes from a diesel power station using £5 million of fuel annually from South Africa.
The latest green move has seen the treasury and economic development team install a charger in the capital, Jamestown.
It was borrowed from Norwegian company, Easee, with a Subaru Solterra also being imported.
Three islanders have already been reported to place offers for the SUV.
Subaru has already been picked by many on the island with the brand known for its robustness and reliability.
The Solterra has even survived the challenging terrain including tight lanes across the volcanic landscape.
It is thought that a new fleet of EVs could be headed to St Helena later this year.
The trial project has seen Subaru and Easee collaborating with the St Helena Government.
Mark Brooks, minister of the treasury and economic development, told Autocar: “We spend about £5 million a year bringing diesel in.
“But it’s not just the cost to buy the diesel, it’s also the cost to transport the diesel to the island and then transfer it into our storage. So we’re looking to transition to more renewable energy production. We want to get to 80% from renewable energy by 2028.”
“It is entirely possible that we can run an entire island from renewable energy. We could only have diesel generation in terms of resilience in case something goes wrong with the renewables.”