Whenever I talk to friends and customers in Nairobi about Electric Vehicles (EVs), I tend to get two questions:
- Can it reach Mombasa from Nairobi (485 km) on a single charge?
- What are my charging options?
The short answer to the Mombasa question is no… not yet… but who cares?!
Most of us living in Nairobi have predictable routines that rarely involve driving to Mombasa: short commutes to work, lunch, and back home, typically covering less than 100 kilometres per day. This makes EVs ideal for daily use, especially since they spend most of their time parked.
Having used an EV full-time for months, I’ve saved over 85% on fuel and virtually eliminated maintenance costs. I’ve taken my family on trips to Nanyuki (200 km from Nairobi) in my Nissan Leaf, which proved cheaper and more comfortable than public transport. During our last holiday, a matatu, taxi, and additional transport would have cost around 2,200 shillings (or 4,400 both ways). My Leaf, with a 250-kilometre range, consumed 1,200 shillings.
And it was a MUCH more comfortable travelling experience. Charged to full, we packed our bags and created a nice playlist. The car’s silence made the journey feel like a holiday from the moment we turned it on. Did you know combustion engines are only 35% efficient, meaning only 35 shillings of every 100 spent on fuel actually move the car, while the rest is wasted on heat, noise, and mechanical losses? EVs, on the other hand, are around 90% efficient.
To the second question about charging options: well, anywhere you can charge a laptop, you can charge an EV. Though, on a normal connection, it’s slower – a full charge will take about seven hours. In Nanyuki, there’s a charging station by @EVChaja, so I could have topped up the car in the time it takes to enjoy a coffee or a swim. On our last trip, this wasn’t necessary because our lovely hotel owners were so excited to see an EV that I gave them a test drive, and they let me charge for free!
With infrastructure in its infancy, long-distance travel does remain challenging for most models in Kenya and across Africa, but the charging network is growing, and with more fast chargers becoming available, full charges in an hour will soon be possible. Sales are increasing, and the infrastructure will follow. New players have entered the market, such as Moja EV, which deals purely with new cars, and the CFAO Group is launching their BYD dealership in late September.
We’ve still got a long way to go. The cost of EVs will remain high while the supply of right-hand drive cars is limited. The current tax regime is also holding us back. Despite a reduction in excise duty for electric vehicles from 20 per cent to 10 per cent last year, taxes make up 40% of the landed cost of cars, so more government support and new subsidies would go a long way to open up the market.
But the vibe in the industry is positive, and the reticence among local lenders to back EVs is fading. Traditionally, international investors have driven the local market, but in the last 12 months, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) has helped finance more than 100 e-buses for some of Nairobi’s largest public transport companies. As more customers pay off their EV loans (helped by the cash they’re saving on fuel and repairs!), lenders and consumers will start to realise how far electric vehicles could get them.
Background
Maris launched Equator Mobility in 2021, becoming Kenya’s first provider of fully electric commercial vehicles and offering a leasing model that allows businesses to transition their fleets from diesel to electric affordably.
Alex has been at the forefront of Kenya’s EV market since its inception. He specialises in design, retrofits, and lithium-ion battery technology, and is passionate about the potential for EVs to revolutionise transportation across Africa.