This week, September 14th - 22nd is National Drive Electric Week and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands is participating!
On Saturday, questions about switching to an electric vehicle will be answered, electric car test drives provided, and free charging stations supplied on St. Thomas’ first Drive Electric Day. Check out more information from this news article from the St. John Source, it also includes a great Q&A that’s relevant to driving on the island.
In the US, electric vehicles are growing in popularity and it is estimated that by 2040 they will comprise 40% of the fleet for passenger vehicles (according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance). Currently electrical vehicles account for 2% of yearly car sales but that number is expected to increase to 60%. Electric vehicles are also expected to become more affordable as Li-ion battery prices decrease as more cars are built, due to economies of scale. The goal that will make batteries economically viable for both cars and grid storage applications is for the cost of batteries to drop to under $100/kWh. As of 2018 it was at $176/kWh and is continuing to fall.
On the other hand there is some opposition to electric vehicles, mostly from the oil & gas industry whom are lobbying to reduce the building of new charging infrastructure. This article discusses some of the setbacks faced by governments and electric utility companies when proposing new charging stations.