In the Caribbean, EVs leave ICE vehicles behind
An EAA member sets the Virgin Islands example
Doug and Leslie White on St. Thomas
Like nearly everyone else with an electric vehicle (EV) on Saint Thomas, Doug White, co-founder of Virgin Islands Electric Vehicle Association, drives a Nissan LEAF. He has been loyal to this brand since 2014, when it became the first commercial EV introduced on the Virgin Islands by Nissan Saint Thomas USVI, also known as Drive Electric VI.
“The dealership formed just so they could bring in the LEAF,” White explained. “They trained a mechanic to be EV-certified. Of course, they have to offer other Nissan models as well, but their focus has definitely been on driving electric.”
“The LEAF is the perfect island car,” White continued, noting that St. Thomas is only 18 miles long, so range anxiety is not an issue. “And the LEAF is still the only EV model supported by a dealership here.”
“EVs can have issues, and If you don’t have a dealer, you can be stuck,” agreed Rob Upson, who is White’s chapter co-founder. “People feel more comfortable buying a car they know can be serviced and repaired.”
“The LEAF is very versatile, too,” added White. “I use mine as a truck. If I need lumber, I throw it up on the roof rack and tie it on.”
Thirty years of solar
White, a residential architect for 40 of the 50 years he has lived on St. Thomas, began his quest toward net-zero emissions when Category 5 Hurricane Hugo hit the islands in 1989.
“We were without power for six weeks,” White said. “I decided, as an architect, that would never happen to me again.”
White installed a solar system in his home by 1992, and when the next Category 5 hurricane struck in 1995, “We had back-up. Our house was very popular because we always had hot showers and cold beer.”
In 2000, “I decided my next car would be an EV when there was really nothing on the market,” White continued. “I was at a trade fair and I saw this little neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV). It was a Polaris GEM, it ran at 25 miles per hour (mph). An islander was importing them from Puerto Rico, and I bought one.”
White’s Polaris GEM with added solar panel
Desiring to run the GEM on sunshine, White successfully installed a solar panel on its roof. He began to drive it around the island, but hit a roadblock when he attempted to register the vehicle.
“The GEM importer had begun to rent them out on an hourly basis to tourists disembarking cruise ships for the day,” White explained. “Unfortunately, the taxi drivers weren’t so happy and they hit back.”
White’s registration efforts were turned down with multiple excuses, including the lack of a muffler and the lack of doors.
“There was no NEV legislation on the books that made it legal,” White said. “I was told by the cops that if I didn’t stop driving with just the dealer plates, they’d arrest me and throw me in jail
Five years to pass NEV legislation
It took White five years to get things changed. “Some of my friends on (neighboring) St. John’s (Island) joined me in organizing a protest,” he remembered. “We collected 600 signatures that we presented to a legislator. When she realized we’d formed a voting block she could count on, she pushed it through.”
This prompted White to construct three additional solar-powered GEMs, including a small truck. From there, he turned to an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-to-electric conversion.
“I had a Mini Moke from British Motor Works. I had it shipped to EV West in San Diego and they kept it for a year, converted it, and sent it back to me. It was a great island vehicle. It went up to 50 mph.”
Doug White with his Mini Moke
Leaving the ICE vehicles behind… literally
White, who describes the Virgin Islands as “mountains sticking out of the sea,” said that the primary question that locals ask about EVs has always been “How do they do on the hills?”
“It’s very steep terrain,” White explained. “EVs are perfect because they don’t overheat. You don’t have to smell the hot, stinky, brake pads like you do with the ICE cars.“
“Non-EVs struggle to make it up the mountains,” added Upson. “You find cars on the side of the road all the time, and you see the drivers trying to back down the hill. The LEAFs just pass them all by.”
White runs his two LEAFs on his home’s solar energy. “My wife loves to say that she hasn’t been to a gas station in 3 years,” he said. “And that’s a very good thing on St. Thomas because gas is so expensive.”
Poker run, EV style
White joined with Upson to launch the EAA chapter in 2019. “I found out about Drive Electric Week,” said Epson. “We put together a Drive Electric Saint Thomas road rally. That’s when we really started organizing people.”
“After the first rally, we felt we needed to form something more structured to get things moving,” White said. “We were thinking of organizing a group on our own, but then we realized there was no reason to reinvent the wheel, that we’d be better off with the Electric Auto Association. They just make it so easy to set up a chapter.”
The new chapter’s first official event was an EV version of a poker run. “That’s a popular thing here, except it’s usually on the water,” Upson said. “Folks take their boats to a list of spots on the coast to pick-up a playing card. At the end, the crew with the best poker hand wins.”
“We drove around the island to get the playing cards,” Upson explained. “The Nissan dealer helped promote the event by offering a $1000 LEAF discount to the winner.”
“I like to think our club is doing a great job in spreading the word about EVs,” White said. “Most of the people in our chapter are involved for environmental reasons, and are passionate about the cause.”
More recent car rallies have highlighted island locales that offer EV charging. For the recent Drive Electric Earth Day rally, “We drove out to the local Montessori School where they have six solar-powered charging stations,” White said. “The school actually owns a number of LEAFs they lease out to the teachers who charge them while teaching class.”
“It’s great to be able to help publicize the infrastructure, and also to make people aware there’s a great need to add to it,” White continued, explaining that the chapter is now advocating for increased charging access in residential units.
Creative ways to maximize a rally
The DEED rally concluded at Magans Bay Beach, known as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, where Upson arranged free access for all EV drivers.
“We’re trying to take small steps to raise people’s awareness that EVs are very practical when used here in the Caribbean,” he said.
White plans to “institutionalize” the DEED event by holding a similar rally every April.
“A lot of different events happen around the island for Earth Day, but they’re not really coordinated. I’m proposing that next year, we tie all the events together. There’s a group called ‘Gardening on the Rocks’ that does a plant exchange, there’s another event that promotes plastic recycling… The idea is that we take our EVs around the island and stop at all these events. That way, we’re promoting all of the activities, not just ours.
“We all have to think of new ways to work together to have the greatest impact,” he concluded.
