Electric vehicles are accounting for about a fifth of the energy vehicles in Barbados and that is expected to grow, says the commercial director of Inchcape Barbados Justin Inniss.
He spoke after the Charged! launch at the company in Warrens, St Michael, recently during which a series of new hybrid and electric vehicles were introduced with a promise of continued provision of maintenance.
The vehicle distribution professional said the future of hybrid and electric vehicles in Barbados was looking bright.
“By the end of last year, the market was probably upwards of 65 per cent of what we call new energy vehicles, hybrid and electric. By the end of the year, I think EVs (electric vehicles) alone were about 20 per cent of the overall market, and I’m really confident that with the launch of these products and the launch of more electric products in the market, we should see that grow rapidly this year,” he said.
As such, Inniss said Barbados was “really leading the charge” in moving away from the use of fossil fuel vehicles, backed by governmental concessions.
Barbados is part of the international drive to cut down on harmful emissions, with the goal of having net-zero emissions by 2035. However, some auto parts retailers are reporting that some dealerships were not offering proper support for their vehicles, and it was worse when it came to electric vehicles, as those needed specialised parts and trained personnel to work on them.
“From a parts perspective, we have always had a commitment that any product we sell, we maintain and we bring parts for. We still bring parts for legacy products we sold many years ago and as with any new vehicle we’ve ever launched, we will supply parts, and we will supply all the maintenance and support for it.
“For all of these vehicles here tonight, we have already ordered parts. We have them on island for all the vehicles. Our technicians have been trained and already prepared to support any of these vehicles,” he said.
The featured vehicles were the hybrid Suzuki Across; the first fully electric Suzuki, the e Vitara; the electric Jeep Avenger and the company’s first range-extended electric vehicle, the Hunter K50, among others.
Inniss said Inchcape was committed to supporting their vehicles, not only in Barbados but in the region. Warranty-wise, he said, while they varied per vehicle, the standard warranty for an electric vehicle battery was eight years and between three to five years for the rest of the vehicle.
He cautioned the public that when it came to reconditioned vehicles that market could be unpredictable.
“It’s a very different market. It’s unregulated. We have a lot of people supplying products, but a lot of the products are not supported; there’s nobody to maintain them, and in some cases, although the models may look similar to what we may sell, they actually use different parts.
“For us, we focus on the value proposition. We sell a car, and it comes fully supported. We have all the parts. We have the training. The cars come with full warranties, and I think we offer a very strong value proposition from a needs perspective,” he said.
Inniss said the vehicle market was ever evolving, but Inchcape was holding its own by offering new and more relevant products to keep up. He wanted to assure anyone who was concerned about the change from the locally owned Simpson Motors to international brand Inchcape that they were now able to broaden their horizons.
“Change is always difficult. We are trying to maintain the strong legacy we had from a service perspective that we had built with Simpson Motors. We are still the company that cares, but we also now have the backing of a large global company where, again, we can do partnerships with companies like Changan. You have the peace of mind knowing that it’s not just a small operation in Barbados anymore; it’s not brands we’re just launching here, but this is something we’re doing on a much larger scale,” he said.
