The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

jsimmons@tribunemedia.com

THE WATER and Sewerage Corporation yesterday said it is investing $100,000 in acquiring electric vehicles as part of a strategy to slash $4m-$5m in annual auto maintenance costs.

The state-owned water supplier unveiled three electric vehicles as part of an initiative intended to make it more environmentally friendly, aligning with the country’s target of generating 30 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030. The new vehicles are expected to improve efficiency, reduce maintenance costs and decrease the use of fossil fuel by one of The Bahamas’ largest auto fleets.

Robert Deal, the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s general manager, said: “We want to not only reduce the energy usage, but also reduce our repair and maintenance costs, which are high, particularly in some of our islands where we have to travel on a quarterly basis to service and maintain vehicles. Our repair and maintenance costs, I would say presently, are in the range of about $4m- $5m per year overall.”

Mr. Deal also revealed that the water supplier spends around $700,000 on fuel per year, adding: “From a fuel purchase perspective, for fuel for our vehicles but also for our generators, we presently purchase in the range of about $700,000 per year in fuel costs.”

The electric vehicles should require less frequent servicing, which will reduce maintenance costs in the long run. Mr Deal said: “The concept is that these vehicles do not require that traditional quarterly servicing. They have limited checks on an annual basis.”

The initiative is part of a broader plan for the Water & Sewerage Corporation to improve climate resiliency and ensure continuity of services, especially after natural disasters such as hurricanes, when there can be challenges obtaining fuel for vehicles. Mr. Deal said: “If there’s a period where there’s limited fuel availability, even if there’s limited electrical supply and we have solar, we can utilise that to power our vehicles and address our customer needs.”

The $100,000 investment also includes three electric vehicle charging stations that can be used by staff who decide to transition to electric vehicles. Mr Deal said: “The initial cost is a little over $100,000. We also acquired three charging stations. But the idea is to also encourage staff who may have electric vehicles to be able to charge their vehicles.

“And, ultimately, the idea is that our major complexes.... the rooftops will have solar arrays put on them so that the energy that we acquire from solar energy can be saved and utilised to charge these vehicles”

The electric vehicles are expected to take four hours to charge and provide 245 drive miles once fully charged. The Water & Sewerage Corporation has plans to expand the use of electric vehicles once the testing phase is completed and staff response observed.

Mr Deal said: “Presently, we have a fleet of approximately 180 vehicles; about 115 in here in New Providence, and about 65 in the Family Islands. So the idea is that, over time, we will convert to more energy efficient vehicles. We have started with initial three vehicles as a pilot project. We want to see how they work from a charging perspective, but also in terms of usability on the street, what’s the staff response to them, and then we want to expand.”