By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas' first electric car dealership owner yesterday said it expects to "double" its growth rate for 2020 with vehicles said to be going “great".

Pia Farmer, owner of Easy Car Sales, told Tribune Business: "We're looking forward to a huge success this year. We are witnessing one of the greatest technological revolutions in transportation since the invention of the combustion engine 140 years ago.

“Over 10m plug-in cars are expected on the global roads in 2020, and analysts predict that by 2040 more than half of all the vehicles on the road will be electric. And while EVs (electric vehicles) make up less than 2 percent of new car sales worldwide, in The Bahamas sales of 100 percent electric vehicles are trending at 7 percent, much higher than the world average”.

Estimating that there are currently more than 200 EVs on The Bahamas' roads, Easy Car Sales expects their number to double this year and continue growing thereafter as the public discovers the potential savings from switching to electric transportation.

Ms Farmer added: “We now drive out of our way to fill up a conventional car at the gas station. We pay an average $4 per gallon of gasoline to drive 25 to 30 miles, while charging your EV from the BPL grid costs only $1 to go the same distance. This represents a 75 percent savings on fuel, and charging at home, at work or at free public charging stations is much more convenient and stress free.”

She asserted that this is a major reason for EV adoption, adding: “EVs are solar ready. Charging your electric car from solar power produced on your roof will cost you only 38 cents per gallon equivalent, making electric transportation the logical choice for sunny Bahamas.”