Nabilah S
The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is paying for a study to see if electric buses (e-Buses) could be used in Fiji.And if everything works out, Fiji will have 16,000 e-buses by 2030, thanks to an investment of $1.3 billion.
“E-bus Upscaling Initial Study” is now looking for a consultant. In an ad, the GGGI said that Fiji wanted to have net-zero emissions by 2050 and that the Climate Change Division had made developing an electric vehicle network a top priority.
The GGGI advertisement said, “The capital investment over 2022-2023 is estimated at $US50m (F109m), and a total of $US590m (F1.3bn) will be needed by 2030 to bring 16,000 e-vehicles and the required charging stations into Fiji and set up a distributed e-vehicle charging network.”
The main users of fossil fuels in Fiji are the land, sea, and air transportation industries. Also, because Fiji needs to import fossil fuels for electricity and transportation, the country is vulnerable to price changes and the exchange rate.
Fiji will be stuck with high-emission, polluting technologies for the next 15 to 20 years because of its old fleet and plans to buy new ICE vehicles to replace more buses.
Fiji promised to get all its electricity from renewable sources by 2036. The switch to electric vehicles is part of that plan. The consultant will work with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Climate Change Division.
The consultant will report to the GGGI Pacific senior sustainable transport officer and work closely with the other relevant stakeholders in the transportation sector.
The consultant will also choose the best routes for using e-buses in Fiji and figure out the best ways to use electric buses on a large scale in Viti Levu.
