Safety measures, charger installation requirements, and inspection procedures have been identified as critical priorities in the push to harmonise electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). According to Antigua News Room, the CARICOM Secretariat recently hosted a webinar focused on standardising and harmonising EV charging facilities to ensure interoperability across Member States.
Participants shared experiences and sought greater insight into the current EV landscape throughout the region. The session was held on Thursday, 11 June 2026, from the CARICOM Secretariat in Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana.
Dr. Soren E. Maloney, P.E., R.Eng, Director of Ziklag Consulting Group Company Limited, delivered the feature presentation, drawing on Guyana's experience with EV charging infrastructure. He noted that while EV uptake is accelerating across CARICOM, Member States remain at varying stages in developing standards and regulatory frameworks for charging infrastructure.
Dr. Maloney pointed to several challenges facing countries in the region, including small technical workforces, limited budgets, and insufficient capacity to develop the necessary standards and regulatory frameworks. "Interoperability therefore is a challenge," he said.
Reflecting on lessons from Guyana, he stressed the importance of institutional clarity, transparent process flows, stakeholder feedback, and embedding capacity-building into the standards development process. He also emphasised that standards must reflect local conditions, market maturity, and scale.
"You can't cut and paste standards from other regions or countries," Dr. Maloney advised, also warning that standards should not lock countries into a particular technology.
