SWITCH

A vision we couldn't have brought to life without the continued support from the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji as well as the Fijian Government

ᴄ ʜ ᴀ ʀ ɢ ɪ ɴ ɢ ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ꜰ ᴜ ᴛ ᴜ ʀ ᴇ

📰 ᴍ ᴇ ᴅ ɪ ᴀ ʀ ᴇ ʟ ᴇ ᴀ ꜱ ᴇ

𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐄𝐕 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐣𝐢

29 SEP. 2022 | SUVA --- The SWITCH Network (SWITCH) launched a new Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Hub at the Kundan Singh Complex in Suva today – one of many planned charging hubs that will connect Nadi and Suva with the goal of covering Viti Levu (Phase 1) as part of the company’s growing contribution to Fiji’s efforts to transition to a blue-green economy.

Its first EV Charging Station with one charger was established as a pilot at Mana Café in Suva in May this year, and the second receiving final approvals this week.

SWITCH was established in 2021 with the aim of developing a renewable energy-based transport ecosystem in Fiji that aligns with Fiji’s wider development ambitions and the target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are duty exempt in Fiji and easily sourced on the second-hand Japanese market that already supplies most cars in Fiji and the Pacific region.

Recognising that deploying EV charging infrastructure in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with a limited base of EV users is challenging, SWITCH is developing a green mobility system where it works with public, community and private partners to develop integrated solutions through “green mobility hubs” – the next part of the scaling.

Of encouragement to Fijians wishing to procure vehicles, SWITCH opens up the duty-exempt EV market by ensuring the development of a charger network that will allow seamless, cost-effective, and carbon-neutral transport across Fiji.

The approach is modular and scalable and can be deployed in towns and communities of any size, including in remote island communities with high dependency on fossil fuels.

This network is being developed by SWITCH through its own investments and with support from a 2022 Blue Accelerator Grant Scheme (BAGS) which is being implemented by the Drua Incubator at Fiji’s Ministry of Economy in collaboration with the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji.

[More on BAGS https://www.undp.org/pacific/blue-accelerator-grant-scheme]

The BAGS Grant is designed to support the development, piloting, and bringing to market, new products, services, and business models that could catalyse commercially viable blue economy activities in Fiji.

End/s

📸 Azaria Fareen

ᴄ ʜ ᴀ ʀ ɢ ɪ ɴ ɢ ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ꜰ ᴜ ᴛ ᴜ ʀ ᴇ

⚡️The 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 has begun
-
On behalf of our Network Founder, Alex Reddaway, and all those that share with us, the common goal of a , today is the first of many steps that we'll be taking toward achieving that goal 🏆

📸 Azaria Fareen

ᴄ ʜ ᴀ ʀ ɢ ɪ ɴ ɢ ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ꜰ ᴜ ᴛ ᴜ ʀ ᴇ

⚡️🚘🔋 Ready to CHARGE THE FUTURE with us?