The electric vehicle (EV) charging station has been officially launched in Naivasha town to help promote the use of electric vehicles in the area.
Speaking in Naivasha during the first green expo and launch of the charging station in Naivasha on Monday, Electric Go Company Managing Director (MD) Eve Maina said they have plans to launch 300 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations in the country in the next one year as they expand the project to every part of the country.
“We intend to champion the adoption of e-transport solutions in the country and help the country move from fossil or carbon oils in powering the motor industry,” Maina said.
She noted that in the last eight months, electric car users have increased from less than 1,000 to the current 1,500, and the numbers will continue growing as charging gadgets and components become more and more accessible to Kenyans.
“We intend to help the Government in its plan to increase the number of electric vehicles in the country by 2025 to over 200,000, which is over five per cent of all the registered vehicles in the country,” Maina observed.
She stated that they will mitigate the lack of infrastructure by integrating renewable energy sources such as solar into their products.
Maina said the Government had currently set tariffs for EV charging at Sh17 per kilowatt-hour during peak hours and Sh8 per kilowatt-hour during off-peak hours, which translate to Sh20 per kilometer, which makes a lot of economic sense to commercial vehicle owners.
While hailing the Government for reducing exercise duty on the EV products, Maina urged the Government to do the same for Customs duty as the local maturing of these products is still taking shape.
United Nations (UN) Habitat Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Director Michal Mlynar, who was present, were full of praise for the venture, saying such projects will bring sustainability to cities and the country.
“Such ventures should be encouraged for a sustainable future as they promote accessible charging solutions and other hybrid solutions to encourage electric car adoption in the country,” Mlynar said.
He observed that the current energy crisis in the country creates a need to look for solutions not dependable on oil or fossil fuels, and Kenya is blessed in this regard as she has made progress in renewable energy and reduced her dependence on fossil fuels.
To this end, he urged both the National and County Governments to support these initiatives and urged the youth in the country to lead this change to electric vehicles.
“By 2050, car producers will shift to producing hybrid or electric vehicles, and hence, Green solution is the way to go,” Mlynar stated.
He revealed that 70 per cent of carbon emissions in urban areas are caused by motor vehicles, and this should be reduced, ostensibly by 2030.
Any small contribution to reduce these emissions is a step in the right direction in order to save our environment,” Mlynar said.
He suggested that funding for small-scale companies involved in this project in the country should be encouraged and added that there was a need to bring on board private institutions and local and international lenders to help grow this venture, which he said was in very high demand.
By Mabel Keya Shikuku
