- Ghana’s transmission grid cannot support Electric Vehicles
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infrastructure Systems, Charles Boakye, has stated that the current Ghanaian transmission grid cannot support Electric Vehicles (EVs). He made this known in an interview where he noted that the country needs to fix generation, regulations and infrastructure challenges before the phase-out of fossil powered vehicles.
”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 extent that some countries are not inclined to buy our power,” he stated.
”…The issue is not whether we are ready or not. We have to start and work our way towards switching because vehicle manufactures are gradually shifting from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles. Most plants will be shutting down in the next 10 years.” Boakye added.
”The worse is that if we do not plan and work towards such a transformation, we may not get spare parts for the fossil-fuelled vehicles. This is because the manufacturing plants in the west where we source these vehicles would have been shut down, and it will be a challenge for us.”
Boakye stated that the transition process requires several changes to the existing infrastructure and regulations to transition from fossil vehicles to electric vehicles in the country successfully. However, he noted that Ghana had initiated several processes to achieve the deadline of a transition to electric vehicles.