The first V.I. Electric Vehicle Summit 2024 charged up a crowd of over 100 people at the University of the Virgin Islands, Albert Sheen Campus. The V.I. Energy Office hosted the summit in the school’s Great Hall on Friday and was also held Tuesday in the St. Thomas-St. John district.
Attendees were able to ask questions, view the electric vehicle (EV) displays, take test drives in the EVs, listen in on panel discussions, participate in demonstrations, and have other network opportunities.
In his opening statement, V.I. Energy Office Director Kyle Fleming said, “We usually have electric vehicles at our events. It is a great opportunity for people to drive and having the experience for driving an electric vehicle is something we really want to promote.”
“We are aggressive in our push for electric vehicles in the territory. It started with the purchase of 25 electric vehicles in partnership with a Department of the Interior grant in 2022, along with charging stations to support those vehicles. They have also been funded to bring on level two public chargers. The stations will be placed across all three islands,” he continued.
Fleming said the Energy Office has also been working on the workforce side. “We are pushing for solar adoption, energy storage adoption, being able to push these electric vehicles in unison with that really creates a lifecycle.”
During the government panel discussion, the moderator, Terry Travis, had the opportunity to ask a series of questions. The panel members were Jozette Walker, assistant commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources; Don Gregoire St. Croix, director of Water; Andrew Ray, transportation planner for the Public Works Department; and Fleming.
“It is important to recognize that every one of our electric vehicles are from grants, so it has not cost any of the taxpayers. We are going to continue our goal obviously to try and get more electric vehicles. When you look at gas consumption in the Virgin Islands it is about 45,000 a month. There is tremendous savings cost savings to diversify our fleet,” Gregoire said.
Gregoire said that the Water and Power Authority currently has 247 vehicles throughout the territory, 21 of which are EVs.
Walker also said that the Department of Planning Resources has always valued having environmental vehicles. Currently, they own four EVs.
Earlier in the summit, attendees had the opportunity to view, drive, and explore some of the EVs currently in use. One of the vehicles was an F-150 used by the Water and Power Authority. The vehicle is equipped with up to 12 outlets, the ability to power a home, and other features. The front hood can also be used as a cooler space.
The event later included more panel discussions, workshops, demonstrations, and networking opportunities. It ended with a $10,000 rebate on a qualifying EV.
The 2024 Electric Vehicle Summit is a chance for the Virgin Islands’ strategy to enhance energy resilience and reduce carbon emissions. Under the guidance of Fleming, VIEO has spearheaded the government’s modernization of its motor pool, creating an institution-wide buy-in that is seeing electric vehicles quickly become a mainstay of the government’s fleet.
VIEO has also worked in parallel to offer private citizens avenues towards electrification through programs such as Equitable E-Mobility (EE-M), which offers up to a $5,000 rebate for the purchase of an EV.
