Never let it be said that the government of Georgia thinks small.
Among the audacious plans to come out of Tbilisi in recent years: To become the first city with free Wi-Fi throughout (has not happened). To replace all Russian-language college textbooks with equivalents in English (efforts well under way). To expunge the hulking legacy of Soviet architecture (good luck).
In that spirit, this week Georgia announced plans to replace its entire fleet of state-owned cars with electric or hybrid vehicles within four years. Georgia is the first country to make this commitment, said Vera Kobalia, whose ministry — formerly the Ministry of the Economy — has been renamed the Ministry of the Economy and Sustainable Development.
PHOTO: AFP
Kobalia said Georgia — which has a rich supply of cheap hydroelectric power from dams in the Caucasus Mountains — could act as a global laboratory for the use of electric cars.
“We can see how the program will work in Georgia, on a smaller scale, and we hope that other countries will catch up,” she said.
Mikheil Saakashvili, the New York-educated lawyer turned president, has a predilection for bold initiatives. His government is also flush with foreign aid, having received commitments of US$4.55 billion after the 2008 war with Russia; the US$1 billion pledged by the US at the time made Georgia one of the largest recipients of US aid, after Israel, Egypt and Iraq.
Georgia is in talks with several companies, including General Motors, about the purchase of about 4,000 vehicles. Trucks and larger cars, including those in the presidential motorcade, will be exempted, since the electric vehicles available today are inadequately powered or armored, Kobalia said.
As part of the sale, manufacturers will be asked to build service and recharging stations, easing the way for ordinary Georgians to switch to electric cars.
“We want to be a steppingstone for the rest of the population,” she said.
Based on US retail prices, and not including the US federal income tax rebate, 4,000 Chevy Volt sedans would cost Georgia about US$164 million, while the same number of Nissan Leafs or Toyota Priuses would cost US$128 million and US$88 million, respectively.
Since becoming president in 2004, Saakashvili has vigorously cultivated ties with the US and sought to reduce dependency on Russia. The Georgian Army has committed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and switched from Kalashnikovs to US-made M4 rifles.
General Motors, a majority of which is still owned by the US government, confirmed it is in talks with Tbilisi, but suggested in a statement that its initial production run of Chevy Volts was not focused on Georgia.
“We appreciate their strong interest and will continue the dialogue,” the statement said. “At this time, our primary focus is on a successful US Volt launch.”
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