After months of trying, Eric Butcher finally got his Renault Samsung Twizy registered for use on the road.
Last May, the Englishman, who lives here, complained he was unable to get the small electric vehicle registered with the Barbados Licensing Authority after submitting the relevant documents and information. He said some at the agency were dumbfounded as to how it should be categorised. He used “garage plates” to be able to move the vehicle from point to point.
Butcher said he was simply happy to have the vehicle finally registered this month and all he did was use the same information as before and got approval. However, he was a bit disappointed as the window of opportunity to import similar vehicles for some residents who were interested had passed.
He came across the vehicle after looking for the cheapest way to get around the island and found the Korean-made, two-seater which travels about 85 kilometres per hour and cost $4.73 to charge. It has four wheels, a steering wheel, an airbag and seatbelt and was acquired for around $14 000, including importation charges.
When the Nation had inquired at the Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources back in May about the lack of registration, it responded that it had received a small number of requests to register vehicles which were not defined or classified under the Road Traffic Act, CAP 295.
The ministry, in a release, said then that according to the European New Car Assessment Programme, Butcher’s vehicle was classified as a “quadricycle” and there was no provision under the Road Traffic Act recognising it. (AC)
