Times of the Islands Spring 2019

Top: As you drive the streets of Providenciales, keep an eye out for the jaunty and quiet Nissan Leaf Acenta, FortisTCI’s first electric vehicle.
Bottom: This is the electric vehicle charging station in the front of FortisTCI’s corporate office on Providenciales.
That jaunty (and quiet) green leaf-adorned vehicle
that many residents and visitors have seen cruising
around Providenciales is the 2017 Nissan Leaf Acenta. It
is a 100% electric car with a 30kWh battery which, when
fully charged, can drive up to 100 miles. I recently spoke
to Senior Director of Business Development & Analytics
Archie Gaviola about the Leaf and its potential future
in the Islands. He explained, “Electric cars are ideal for
a small island nation, where most trips are less than 5
miles and rarely longer than 20. Because there is no tailpipe
pollution or greenhouse gas emission, they are an
ideal option towards doing our part to protect the planet
from further environmental damage. And they can provide
tremendous cost savings. The Leaf would use about
30 kWh of electricity to travel 100 miles. At current rates,
that comes to about $12.50!”
FortisTCI supplies 98% of the Turks & Caicos Islands’
electricity, so exploring the adaptation of electric cars to
the country has great significance. FortisTCI President/
CEO Eddinton Powell notes, “We are preparing to meet the
future energy demands of our customers in traditional
and nontraditional ways, including offering environmentally
sustainable energy solutions.”
When you have an electric car, it must be plugged
46 www.timespub.tc