Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett pictured outside Parliament with e-car investor Pia Farmer
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Owners of a
local car dealership who have invested in electric vehicles applauded a
prediction by Bloomberg News that the 2020s will be the decade of the
electric car and nearly half the new vehicles
in the world would have a plug by the year 2040.
“The story
and video, which got huge play on Bloomberg, confirmed what we have
believed since we first started investigating electric cars as the
vehicle of the future,” said Pia Farmer. Along with
husband John, Farmer has led the way in championing the e-vehicle,
declaring it should succeed for all the right reasons.
“Electric
cars are better for the environment in two ways, first, what powers them
is a battery instead of fossil fuels, and secondly, their impact on air
quality,” said Farmer. “We know, too, that
the e-car is much easier and cheaper to maintain, it doesn’t have a
thousand parts that other cars need to run, making the e-car desirable
for the pocket, as well as the environment. But the reality is that
long-standing habits do not change easily so this
story by Bloomberg was really very welcome as an eye-opener for many
readers.”
The Bloomberg piece claims
that the steadily declining price of batteries along with the glut of
oil that will stifle production due to low prices, is driving the
industry
to develop “faster, safer, cheaper” electric vehicles. The writer
pointed to major investment in research and design by electric car
leaders Tesla, Nissan and Chevy. Easy Car Sales is importing the Nissan
LEAF, the best-selling electric car with more than
200,000 on roads worldwide. Easy Car Sales on Gladstone Road is
bringing in the slightly used models to keep the price tag down to
$20,000.
Pia Farmer, a director of Easy Car Sales, reviews benefits of environmentally friendly electric vehicles with Prime Minister Perry Christie. Easy Car Sales is importing the best-selling electric car, Nissan LEAF, that sells for just under $20,000 in The Bahamas and has a driving range of 80-100 miles between charges
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According to the author of the Bloomberg piece, battery prices fell 35%
in 2015 and car manufacturers are developing systems for longer
range driving between charges. The Nissan Leaf available in The Bahamas
features a driving range of 80 to 100 miles between charges with New
Providence’s traffic boosting the range with stop and go battery energy
generation.
“When that
article stated ‘It’s looking like the 2020s will be the decade of the
electric car,’ and that nearly half the vehicles would be electric by
2040 we felt that everything we have been saying
about how electric vehicles are environmentally friendly, a pleasure to
drive and financially attractive was confirmed,” said Farmer. “The one
thing that I think the public does not fully appreciate yet is how
luxurious these vehicles are. We are not talking
about a golf cart. We want people to know that the Leaf is comfortable,
roomy, has all the bells and whistles including Bluetooth technology
and a Bose sound system. And can you imagine if everyone drove electric
vehicles, buses and trucks, how quiet and clean
the streets would be? Driving could actually someday have a calming
effect on the culture of the country.”