The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infrastructure Systems, Charles Boakye, has revealed that Ghana’s current electricity grid is unable to support the use of electric vehicles.
Ghana’s electricity can’t support use of electric cars
According to him, Ghana’s electricity infrastructure, issues of generation, and regulations all does not support and show the country is ready to join the world in phasing out petrol and diesel powered vehicles.
Mr. Boakye in an interview with the media stated that the country has to resolve the above key challenges by 2030 to be able to fully enjoy the shift from fossil fuelled vehicles to electric ones.
He opined that although a few people and companies had imported and were using electric vehicles, the country was not ready for the shift and needed to start working towards resolving the obstacles.
“As it stands, we cannot roll out electric vehicles entirely because there is not enough power. Electricity in Ghana is said to be the most expensive in the sub-region to the extend that some countries are not inclined to buy our power,” he noted.
He further added that, ” [Ghana] has to start and work our way towards switching, because manufacturers are gradually shifting from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles. Most plants will be shutting down in the next 10-years”.
The expert intimated that if Ghana doesn’t plan and work towards such transformation, we may not get spare parts for fossil fuelled vehicles because the manufacturing plants in the west where we source the vehicles from would have shut down.
However, he stated that Ghana’s Nuclear Power Programme when completed in 2030 could be the game changer to provide adequate, affordable, reliable and secured supply of energy, in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.
Major vehicle production companies, including Ford. Nissan Motor Co. Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, etc have all agreed and taken steps to gradually end the production of fossil fuelled vehicles.