The isolated British Overseas Territory of St Helena, 1200 miles off the south-west coast of Africa, is the location for a trial of the most remote public electric vehicle charging point.
It is the latest step in a plan for the tropical island, made famous as the final place of exile for Napoleon and home to 192-year-old tortoise Jonathan, to switch almost entirely to sustainable power and zero-emission transport by the end of this decade.
Global car manufacturer Subaru and Norwegian electric vehicle charger brand Easee have collaborated with the St Helena Government to test the feasibility, reliability and adaptability of electric vehicle use on one of the most remote inhabited islands on the planet.
The trial, lasting 2 months, featured an Easee Charge unit being installed beside the island’s Museum in the capital, Jamestown. It was connected to the St. Helena grid by island power provider Connect St Helena Ltd, and was used to charge an all-electric Subaru Solterra, which was put through its paces across the rugged St Helena landscape.
With only four electric vehicles currently in use on St. Helena, and none of them the latest generation in EV technology, a 2024 Subaru Solterra was transported on the regular monthly supply ship to the island for the trial by Subaru UK. St. Helena is home to many Subarus, known for their robustness and reliability, and the arrival of the company’s first all-electric car drew a lot of attention.
The permanent All-Wheel drive Solterra was tested on sealed and dirt roads, in Jamestown and on the tight network of lanes which cling to the volcanic isle’s craggy landscape. A whole day of driving, over approximately 50 miles on the 10x5 mile island , used no more than 20% of the battery capacity. The undulating roads meant the battery could be recharged using the vehicle's regenerative braking technology on downhill sections.
It is the latest step in a plan for the tropical island, made famous as the final place of exile for Napoleon and home to 192-year-old tortoise Jonathan, to switch almost entirely to sustainable power and zero-emission transport by the end of this decade.
Global car manufacturer Subaru and Norwegian electric vehicle charger brand Easee have collaborated with the St Helena Government to test the feasibility, reliability and adaptability of electric vehicle use on one of the most remote inhabited islands on the planet.
The trial, lasting 2 months, featured an Easee Charge unit being installed beside the island’s Museum in the capital, Jamestown. It was connected to the St. Helena grid by island power provider Connect St Helena Ltd, and was used to charge an all-electric Subaru Solterra, which was put through its paces across the rugged St Helena landscape.
With only four electric vehicles currently in use on St. Helena, and none of them the latest generation in EV technology, a 2024 Subaru Solterra was transported on the regular monthly supply ship to the island for the trial by Subaru UK. St. Helena is home to many Subarus, known for their robustness and reliability, and the arrival of the company’s first all-electric car drew a lot of attention.
The permanent All-Wheel drive Solterra was tested on sealed and dirt roads, in Jamestown and on the tight network of lanes which cling to the volcanic isle’s craggy landscape. A whole day of driving, over approximately 50 miles on the 10x5 mile island , used no more than 20% of the battery capacity. The undulating roads meant the battery could be recharged using the vehicle's regenerative braking technology on downhill sections.
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MotorTranscript
00:00People's attitudes on St Helena towards the environment are changing.
00:22Since the government invested in wind turbines and solar panels to help contribute towards
00:28our electricity generation, it's helped to open up people's minds in terms of what is available.
00:34So there's only very few electric vehicles on the island at the moment,
00:38so we are excited to be in partnership with Subaru and a charging company that
00:43has installed an electric charger in the remotest place in the world.
00:48So usually projects like these you have big technical teams behind you,
00:52but actually we're sending this vehicle as it is, we're so confident in its reliability.
00:57This could be a real marked testbed for us because the electricians are so far away,
01:01the charger is so far away. It allows us to stress test a lot of our systems,
01:04be that the data connection to the charger, to see if we can fix something so remote.
01:08For a lot of people who haven't necessarily owned an electric vehicle before, this will help to,
01:13I think, convince them that there is space here to replace their diesel and petrol-reliant vehicles.
01:18We are hugely reliant at this current state on imported diesel. We spend about five million
01:24pounds a year bringing diesel in. We're looking to transition to more renewable energy production.
01:31I would love to see a day when St Helena is zero emissions.
01:36If the message for St Helena, for tourists and for locals, is that we become the place where
01:43we have the most remote rechargeable hub, I think it just sends a message to all different
01:48stakeholders.
01:50We already have installed chargers in quite interesting places,
01:54far reaches of northern Norway, as well as multi-million pound apartments in London.
01:59So we believe that location shouldn't be an issue for where chargers are. So to be able to supply
02:03chargers into St Helena, which is so remote, is a really interesting and exciting opportunity for us.
02:09We're really excited to be invited to be part of this project. It's a real testament to the
02:13Subaru's reliability and capability that we've been invited. And to be honest, if you can operate
02:19an electric vehicle in this type of environment, then you really can anywhere.
02:23I think our generation is already making waves and helping to change that mindset from
02:27fossil fuel related and reliant living.
02:31I think that even here we can see a shift in people's attitudes.
02:37I am looking to bring electrical vehicles to the island in the first quarter of 2025,
02:44to trial to see if there is going to be the demand.
02:47People are very open and enthusiastic to have electric vehicles.
02:52If you were to revisit the island in five years time, the number of electric cars
02:57you'll find on island, I am confident will be three figures.
03:02We want to incentivise people bringing in more electric vehicles.
03:05So installing electric chargers, putting in the infrastructure,
03:10and then we can work on policies to try and increase the electric vehicle fleet on the island.
03:17We are able to keep pace with what is happening in the rest of the world and we can see how
03:21we all need to be more sustainable if we want to have a future for our children.
03:25I think it's very possible that we can become completely green. We could only have diesel
03:32generation in terms of resilience in case something goes wrong with the renewables.
03:38But it's entirely possible that we can run the entire island from renewable energy.