The Tribune

WHEN Prince William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arrive in The Bahamas today, you might spot them chauffeured around the streets of Nassau in an electric vehicle.

There will be no stops for gas during this Royal visit, symbolising this country’s commitment to a more environmentally friendly future.

The fully electric luxury vehicles were provided by Easy Car Sales, the first and only 100 percent electric vehicle distributor in The Bahamas.

“We wanted to make this gesture to reflect our nation’s commitment to cleaner, more sustainable transportation, and we are confident the Royal couple will enjoy the luxurious features and smooth powerful ride,” said managing director of Easy Car Sales Pia Farmer. “They really are beautiful vehicles fit for royalty.”

It will not be the first time that the Royal couple will ride a climate conscious car. After their wedding in 2011, Prince William and his bride Kate drove away from Buckingham Palace in Prince Charles’ 51-year-old Aston Martin - gifted to him by the Queen for his 21st birthday in 1969 – which had been converted to run on biofuels, swapping out petrol for a renewable energy source. Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived at the first Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in a fully electric vehicle which uses electric battery powered motors to drive without harmful carbon dioxide emissions.

The Earthshot competition was launched last year to search for ways to tackle the problems facing the planet. Five winners each year are awarded £1m for an idea to protect the planet. The first award to be handed out went to Gator Halpern and Sam Teicher of Coral Vita - a project which grows coral on land to replenish life in dying ocean ecosystems. The Royal couple will visit the Coral Vita project in Freeport, Grand Bahama as part of their tour.

In what the Express newspaper calls the “Royal transport revolution”, it was revealed that Prince William has installed a charging point at Kensington Palace and a source said it was “the first phase of a project to install charging points across the entire Royal estate”.

Unlike petrol or diesel-powered engines, the eco-friendly electric motor can be recharged at home from the electricity grid, or from renewable sources like solar power, at a fraction of the cost of gasoline.