Kenya Power to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Vehicles, Adopt e-vehicles.

Kenya Power has announced plans to phase out fossil fuel powered vehicles and motorbikes from its fleet, in favour of electric-powered ones, as the Company moves to adopt sustainable ways of doing business.

To this end, the Company has set aside KES 40 million in the current financial year to purchase three electric vehicles — two pickups and one four-wheel drive — on a pilot basis. Kenya Power says these funds will also be utilised to construct three electric vehicle-charging stations within Nairobi, both for the company’s use and demonstration purposes.

“Kenya Power intends to substantially reduce its carbon footprint by purchasing more e-vehicles in the near future, including two-wheelers and three-wheelers. We must play our rightful role to combat global warming by championing mitigation measures such as adoption of electric motorisation.”

Kenya Power Ag. Managing Director, Eng. Geoffrey Muli.

Speaking at the Swedish Embassy during the launch of electric motorbikes by Roam Motors, Eng. Muli added that in the medium term, the Company will also purchase 50 long-range electric bikes as part of its plan to phase out fuel-powered motorbikes within its fleet.

Roam is locally assembling e-motorbikes with a range of 180 kilometres using two batteries, and it costs KES 66 to charge each battery.

Kenya Power recently finished piloting 13 electric bikes in conjunction with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which were being used by meter readers and revenue collection team. The major impediments have been reliable battery storage and lack of after sales service.

The e-mobility industry is taking shape within the country with more than 1,000 electric vehicles currently on the roads. Being a key player in the electricity value chain, Kenya Power intends to play an active role in driving the uptake of electric vehicles.

“With an installed electricity capacity of 3077 MW and an off-peak load of 1100 MW, Kenya has enough power to support the entire e-mobility ecosystem.”

Kenya Power Ag. Managing Director, Eng. Geoffrey Muli.

The Company has already invited bids for the construction of an e-mobility network infrastructure system (ENIS) to pilot the charging stations. The infrastructure will also allow customers to pay via M-PESA and credit cards.

Additionally, the Company has also established a liaison office, which acts as our one-stop shop to champion the Companys e-mobility business. Through this office, Kenya Power is working with other stakeholders to support the development of the e-mobility eco-system, which includes the identification of sites for potential charging stations, facilitate connectivity and test e-vehicles for potential investors.