Against the background of a rapid expansion in the sale of electric vehicles globally and interest growing in the region, and Jamaica in particular, The University of the West Indies on Tuesday officially opened its E-Mobility Lab in the Faculty of Science and Technology.

The project saw the JPS Foundation partnering with the Department of Physics to acquire equipment, curriculum material and software for the laboratory to assist it in pursuing teaching, training and research opportunities for students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The collaboration saw a vehicle’s chassis and accessories being imported and a team of UWI students and professionals in various fields drawn from across the region, assembling the finished unit, which was driven out of the lab and on to the famed Ring Road.

INNOVATIVE AND PRACTICAL

Tanesha Stephenson, professor of climate science in the Department of Physics, in describing the project as “innovative”, told The Gleaner it lifted pedagogy from theory to practical.

“It will allow them to get practical and hands-on experience, and so now when we talk about electric mobility, we are taking it out of theory and book knowledge and we are giving them the hands-on. And what better way for them to appreciate the opportunities in the area than to put them in front of a vehicle that they can work on.”

Stephenson listed procurement delays in getting the chassis of the vehicle and accessories into the island, as well as convincing the authorities that it was for educational purposes, even though the vehicle is fit to drive on the streets.

However, she argued that those challenges were well worth the outcomes for the students’ growth in their knowledge base.

“Sometimes they had to stop and troubleshoot and say, ‘OK, this is not what we are seeing in the manual’. That was excellent, and I want to tell you that’s one of the parts I enjoyed more - when they deviated, and they had to figure out how this should have been put together.”

Graduate students Andre Cunningham and Kevaughn Williams were two of the youngest members of the team, which included four students from the Department of Physics.

Cunningham, who is pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Electronics, told The Gleaner that not only did he benefit from the knowledge of his more experienced team members, but he was also able to obtain practical insights into how his research in maritime technology will help Jamaica secure its borders.

CRUCIAL FOR RESEARCH

“The area of research that I am doing, I will be using IOT (the Internet of Things). I need to run wireless power at sea. There’s no power lines and, in terms of renewable solutions, solar is one of the bigger ones, and wind power. So, in terms of this project, the battery was one of the most important aspects ... because if the battery is not at the right voltage, we need to look into that. So, being part of the team for my research was crucial.”

Electronic technology is increasingly used to help authorities search and distinguish normal maritime traffic from suspicious behaviour in real time.

Williams is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Renewable Energy Management and hopes to one day be at the forefront of providing alternative sources of electricity to households, especially in times of disaster.

“So, my thesis is hoping to focus on using battery electric vehicles to power communities or homes, using vehicle-to-grid technology. So, as we noticed with the hurricane that just hit us, many communities and homes lost power. So, if residents or persons in the community have an electric vehicle, they could potentially use that vehicle to either powertheir home, a series of homes, or the entire community. So, this experience has taught me a lot about batteries, and so on,” he told The Gleaner.

Available research suggests that it’s possible for e-vehicles to power homes, but the capability requires specific technology and hardware that is not yet standard in all models. However, many major automakers have integrated this feature into their latest line-ups.

Damion Obligio, chairman of the JPS Foundation, explained to The Gleaner that the establishment of the lab represents the final stages of a long-term project.

“This lab is the last mile of the project, which we started with the e-drive project, which we started jointly with the IDB (International Development Bank) and the NDB (National Development Bank) to help the society to accept e-vehicles, then the charging stations, then the training of people. We underscored that we need a lot of training to help people on how to drive these cars; and for potential mechanics on how to fix the vehicles; and the security forces, such as the fire brigade, on how to extinguish if there is a fire. So, this was the last part to make this new technology available.”

The JPS Foundation, through its partnership with the IDB, provided funding of US$75,000. More than 20 million e-vehicles were sold globally in 2025, a reported 20 per cent increase over 2024.