Belizean Students Learn More About Electric Vehicles
On Wednesday, the Belize City Council, the Ministry of Education, as well as Caribbean Motors hosted an educational session for high school students to learn more about electric vehicles, as well as the importance of moving away from fossil fuel to cleaner energy. Students from at least four secondary schools met up at the Hub where they were able to view firsthand a small fleet of electric vehicles. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The transition to electric vehicles has been gradual, as Belizean motorists continue to make the most out of cars and SUVs that run on fossil fuel. There has been a concerted effort, nonetheless, between the Belize City Council, Belize Electricity Limited and Caribbean Motors to raise awareness on the advantages of going electric.
Chad Dietrich
Chad Dietrich, General Manager, Caribbean Motors
“It’s awesome to see these young people out here asking great questions. That’s so encouraging for me and for us at Caribbean Motors, just to see the young people desiring to understand this new technology and what it means and how it works. So I love nothing more than doing these events with young people because they just ask such raw and pure inquisitive questions so that’s just amazing.”
Secondary school students from across the city, including Maud Williams, Belize High School and Excelsior High School were on hand to view a few of the electric vehicles on display. Their curiosity about the new technology was evident in the questions that were asked.
Neil Hall
Neil Hall, E-Transit Startup Coordinator
“What we’re doing today is we’re looking at the educational aspect of Evs, because bringing EVs into Belize without having the capacity to work on them means that you’re bringing a white elephant into the country, something that you’re bringing in and something happens, there’s nothing you can do about it. Today’s event is geared towards active mechanics, as well as students. In an effort to show them that: one, EVs are real, EVs are actually real and here in Belize and they will need people to look after them. So we’re looking at our electrical engineers. We’re very happy to have schools like Maud Williams, ACC and Belize High School here because we want to start inspiring younger minds. We’re also very happy to already have a few of the mechanics that are in Belize already here present because we want to show them that the crossover from being a sole mechanic to what would be considered a certified EV technician probably, in the long term, is something that’s also attainable.”
According to Chad Dietrich, General Manager of Caribbean Motors, these students came prepared with a list of questions that the average novice would ask about the new technology to Belize’s automotive market.
Chad Dietrich
“Number one, what’s the range? How far can you go on a single charge? You know, this grey vehicle behind me has a practical range of about four hundred and fifty kilometers. The other question that goes with that is, okay, what’s the cost of going that distance? What’s the cost difference between electric versus gas and diesel, and again, on this car here it’s about thirty-five dollars for a full charge to go that same four hundred and fifty kilometers.”
Isani Cayetano
“What is it important at this point in time for there to be, perhaps, an education push for these students, other than the fact that at some point they too will become drivers and vehicle owners?”
Chad Dietrich
“So it’s new and we need to understand that there’s a lot of information out there, some is good and accurate and some is not so good and not so accurate. So it’s great that these young people can hear it directly from practical experience and we’re not speaking from the spec sheets, we’re speaking from what we’re actually seeing happening here on the ground in Belize. So that’s so important and these young people can even educate their parents and their families because they got to hear it firsthand.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
