For John Felder, president of Cayman Automotive, the night of 30 August, 2012, is one he won’t soon forget.
The first Caribbean International Electric Car Show was launched at the Cayman Motor Museum in West Bay in Grand Cayman and it was officially announced that regulations allowing electric cars to be registered in the Cayman Islands had been approved. After seven long years of pursuing his dream to see Cayman go electric, Mr. Felder finally got his wish.
It was only in June of this same year that Mr. Felder attempted to register an electric vehicle at the Department of Vehicles and Licensing, but was unable to do so. Safety was among the concerns of Vehicle Licensing Director David Dixon, and Cayman Islands Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said that “the registration and licensing of vehicles was an intricate process and required extensive research on many issues.”
On Thursday, more than 200 people attended the opening night, which gave many of them their first opportunity to see how far the electric car industry has come. A number of different models were on display, including the popular Wheego; a two-seater zippy vehicle that will be one of the cars available for purchase at Cayman Automotive.
Frank Balderamos Jr. was the master of ceremonies, and after a brief welcome, he introduced Andreas Ugland, owner of the Cayman Motor Museum and sponsor of the electric car show. Mr. Ugland said that it was last year when his wife, Natalie, first suggested holding the show at the museum, and it was wonderful to see everyone’s efforts coming to fruition. Despite admitting to being a “bit of a petrolhead,” Mr. Ugland admitted that people had to consider the long-term benefits of going electric.
“We got together and planned this event and I am proud to be part of it,” he said. “In the long run we all have to realise how we have to change our habits, and there is no better place to start than in Cayman.”
Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush had been slated to attend and make a speech, but was unable to at the last minute, so Cabinet Minister Mike Adam was sent in his stead to speak on his behalf. He welcomed visiting journalists and electric car manufacturer representatives to the Cayman Islands and then congratulated Mr. Felder for his perseverance in making the electric car show a reality.
“Thanks to the vision of Mr. Felder, originally from Maryland, USA, and Mr. Ugland from a well-established Norwegian shipping family, Cayman has taken a giant leap here hosting the first electric auto show among all the Caribbean islands.” He continued, “I am made to understand that the organisers are also striving to offer, again, for the first time in the Caribbean, electric cars to rent out of the Alexander Hotel on Cayman Brac.”
As Mr. Adam came to the end of his speech, he had a final statement to read from Premier Bush, which was greeted with raucous applause.
“I am happy to be able to conclude this speech with an announcement; and it’s good news. John, your efforts to promote electric vehicles in the Cayman Islands have paid off. It is now official; the traffic regulations allowing electric vehicles to operate on the roads of the Cayman Islands have been approved by Cabinet. And these new traffic regulations will actually become effective in a matter of two weeks.”
After Mr. Adam left the podium, Miss Cayman Lindsay Japal pledged her support for electric cars in the Cayman Islands and then invited a clearly emotional Mr. Felder to the podium.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “I persevered, I had a dream and I stayed focused on that dream. When I retired from Chrysler it was my dream to bring electric cars to the Caribbean. I felt this was the perfect place for electric transportation. The perfect place. You have an abundance of sunlight, you have shorter distances [to travel] and you have a beautiful, beautiful island that you want to protect for future generations.”
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How can it possibly have taken so long for a Cayman government to agree to this legislation. Was it delayed by pressure from the owners with a vested interest in selling traditional petrol/diesel powered vehicles, and/or the fuel companies, who saw real unexpected competition. From a practical and environmental perspective, why wasn’t it introduced in Little Cayman years ago – the electric golf cart someone tried to use there was a vehicle perfectly suited to the transportation needs of a small, peaceful island. Congratulations John Felder – you have forced the establishment to acknowledge 21st Century technology !
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Has anybody seen promised network of solar or wind-powered vehicle charging stations? I did not. If you are caring for environment, this is what you should be demanding for before electrical vehicles set wheel in Cayman.
Stan, 14 solar panel charge stations are planned and the first at Govenors Square is now before Planning. As a temporary measure, the Car Museum EV charge station is now operational (first in the caribbean) and the solar panels are to be added later this year. Camana Bay will up and operational this month.
Forget the charging stations.
For 3k-10K you can build your own charging station at HOME.
That is why it’s taking so long, for electric cars to be approved by government.
Because i am sure CUC had to do a feasibility study on how much it would cost and how easy it would be, for people to build their own charging stations.
Well if you have 10K to spend. You can have your own charging station and never need to buy CUC gas again.
Good comment about Little Cayman jabberwocky.
More than 20 years ago the Out Islands of the Bahamas licensed the use of golf buggies on the roads and they would be ideal on LC. As long as there is no other significant traffic on the roads they have proved to be a safe, reliable and inexpensive way to get around. They are also used extensively in the huge resorts that have been built on the Red Sea.
So if I go electric and want to recharge the car, where do I go?
Right now Israel is getting ready to draw a line in the sand in regard to Iran nuclear program. If war starts in the Middle East, every-one will wish they had a solar panel. Chavez what is happening buddy..
There are several advantages to owing an electric car. There is no tailpipe emission as with gasoline or diesel powered cars, which is excellent for the environment and less dependence on imported fuel. Also, electric car batteries can be recharged by plugging into regular household electrical outlets.
Generally, one present disadvantage is the limited driving range of electric cars which results from their battery capacity to hold a limited amount of charge. However, unlike the USA this might not be too big a problem for Cayman because of the island’s size. And with advanced technology, battery capacity will definitely improve over time.
Pricewise, electric cars cost more than their gasoline counterparts. Perhaps as they become more and more popular, the price will be more competitive.
Well done,
Anyone seen a TESSLA? 245 mile range on a single charge and 0 to 60 under 4 seconds, Wow!.
Electric/Green technology is a field in which Cayman could truly become a world leader.
Modern Solar panels are becoming better year on year and Cayman has Sunshine in abundance – if we consider what Cayman has to offer in terms of natural resources – Solar Energy has to be the number one, but the commitment to it is frankly pitiful.
The GREEN dollar is worth billions – and while Cayman is perceived in the top 10 for diving, it’s environmental record is less than impressive. Tourists have no objection to paying a Premium price for a truly earth friendly vacation – many make donations to eco-charities to compensate for the fossil fuel used by airlines to get them to their annual holiday = Carbon Offsetting.
Solar power could become the missing third pillar to the Cayman economy.
The critics often respond – but what about Nighttime?
Battery technology is getting better but the obvious solution is Hydrogen.
An 8 Megawatt Hydrogen fuel cell (Hydrogen in – water electric out) is no bigger than a shipping container – and daytime power could be used to generate the nighttime Hydrogen from seawater. This is a tried and tested technology, incredibly reliable (many hospitals have a fuel cell for emergency backup for operating theatres). Add high efficiency LED lighting and other energy saving measures into the equation and Cayman could become the showcase for reducing fossil fuel usage to near zero.
The government could help by implementing a Zero Duty on all environmentally sensitive products and tax breaks for car hire companies with electric fleets (and remember they sell off their fleets regularly so the public would also have ready access to Zero Emmission Vehicles.
If the Government were to nail its colours to this mast, and offer breaks and incentives to the Solar industry it would grow and flourish in the same way the financial services industry has under the umbrella of tax free status.
The generations to come will be our judge on this one! So cut the red tape and the vested CUC interests and lets get the floodgates open.