Island Policy Lab Blog: Walker Schwartz

November 29, 2023

Small islands developing countries are the most vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change. These nations face the effects from devastating natural disasters, sea level rise, and natural resource degradation to name a few. What can curb the effects that these nations face from increased Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from anthropogenic forcing? There are many tools that are needed to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change but Electric Vehicles (EVs) have the potential to be one of the key tools in the fight against climate change for small island nations.

The International Conference on Electric Vehicles and Battery Technologies is scheduled for November 27th to the 30th this week. Leaders from around the globe will convene to delve into a wide array of topics, ranging from the penetration of the electric vehicle market in the United Arab Emirates to discussing design and control algorithms for power electronic converters for EV applications in Paris, France. This gathering presents an ideal opportunity to highlight the potential of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in driving the energy transition for smaller island nations.

At the University of Delaware, the Director of the University’s Island Policy Lab, Professor Kalim U. Shah, Ph.D. has had extensive work and publications that pertain to small island nations and the energy transition. Most recently he has published a review, “Electric vehicle adoption in small island economies: Review from a technology transition perspective,” discussing the importance of EV adoption in Small island nations. This review complements his previous publication, “Can Electric Vehicles Drive the Transport Revolution in Small Island States?” These publications seek to shed light on the opportunity electric vehicles create for small island nations looking to make the clean energy transition.

Small island nations have conditions that are beneficial to EV use including (a) low travel distances, (b) high costly fossil fuel imports, and (c) high potential for renewable energy generation as shown by Professor Kalim Shah’s work (Shah et al. 2022).

Range anxiety is a large concern for current EV technology as drivers but short travel distances limit the fear of being stranded as a result of inefficient distribution for charging stations and the inability of the EV’s battery to power the car for the total distance of a journey (Shah, 2021).

EVs have the opportunity to decrease small island nations’ reliance on costly fossil fuel imports allowing for funding to be used for infrastructure, education or other programs to help benefit the island. Finally, small island nations have high potential for renewable energy resulting in the ability to provide clean electricity for EV use while EVs can act as additional batteries through V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) technology (Shah et al. 2022).

It is important to note the development phases for EV implementation within small island nations. Professor Kalim Shah’s work clearly outlines where several small island nations fit in the EV development space ranging from Pre-Development, Take-Off, Acceleration, and Stabilization to identify which countries need to update their National Determined Contribution (NDC) plans. Specific targets that need to be factored into these NDCs are lack of charging infrastructure, technical support capability, and capacity and standards (Shah et al. 2022).

Dr. Shah has also outlined an eight-point action plan that clearly illustrates the framework to accomplish the EV transition in small island nations.

1. Small island nations need to set realistic and incremental goals for the future
2. Encourage the purchase of EVs through government incentives ranging from reducing taxes to home charging installations.
3. Invest in charging infrastructure to be placed in strategic locations,
4. Focus on sector-level interventions such as tourism due to its large economic impact,
5. Craft a comprehensive policy strategy for EVs that incorporates V2G, avoids damages to the grid and promotes renewable energy stations.
6. There is also a need to create efficiency standards for EVs and be checked periodically
7. Promote public transportation and public awareness and finally
8. Avoid counteracting policies (Shah, 2021). EV development for small island nations goes beyond private vehicles to include the public transportation sector with buses being the largest form of public transportation in small island nations.

Beyond this eight-stage plan, EVs can help build energy resilience in small island nations through the use of V2G in the wake of natural disasters or power outages that small islands might face. V2G would be highly beneficial to small island nations as the system would reduce strain on the electricity grid, assist in peak demand shift, and add additional battery storage (Shah et al. 2022).

Investments being made in V2G infrastructure include charging stations, and technical maintenance training would be highly beneficial to EV development in small island nations (Shah et al. 2022).

At the University of Delaware, there is also a research team that is run by the pioneer of V2G, Professor Willet Kempton, whose research in V2G in conjunction with Professor Kalim Shah’s work with small island nations can help spur the EV revolution in small island nations to help reduce small island nations dependence on imported fossil fuels, preserve the environment, and boost the economy (Roberts, 2022).