Kenya has launched the first locally designed and produced electric bus in Africa. According to the manufacturer, local engineering talent and local manufacturing partners were utilized in the whole process. This is a good step towards the fight against major climate concerns.
The Manufacturer, Opibus indicated that the newly produced bus will sell at a significantly lower cost as compared to the importation of the same electric cars from outside the country.
This is meant to draw more market and value for money. Management of the company also revealed that the product will be less expensive to maintain.
According to them, since the electric bus operates without a combustion engine and manual gearboxes, one is not expected to change oil/filters/gaskets. This means that the expenditure for these items in regular buses becomes additional revenue for the users.
Dennis Wakaba, the project coordinator said: “This first electric bus is set to be launched commercially mid this year. Following this, the platform will be tested at scale in commercial deployment of 10 buses during the second half of 2022.
In doing so, we ensure that we gather valuable feedback to continue the development of the product for an optimized market fit. It feels great to be the first movers in this very exciting space.”
The Manufacturer, Opibus is a Swedish-Kenyan technology company which deals in the designing and deployment of electric buses. The company aims to revolutionalize Africa’s transport system and also create jobs for the many youths who will be trained and engaged.