Manufactured by Kiira Motors, the vehicle has been built using 60 per cent local and 40 per cent imported materials
Africa’s first solar powered bus is finally here in Nairobi.
The Kayoola solar bus from Uganda is the showstopper at the ongoing United Nations Environment Assembly in Gigiri.
According to Albert Akovuku from Kiira Motors Corporation, the manufactures of the bus, there are nine solar panels erected on the rooftop of the bus. “The solar energy is converted into electric energy and then to mechanical energy. The 35-seater executive bus is designed for city duty cycles and can go for 80km with a range extension of 12km,” he said. He said Kiira Motors Corporation is the brainchild of Makerere University and that they started by manufacturing a two-seater electric car called Kiira EV–Electric Vehicle.
This, he said, was made possible using funds from the Presidential Initiative for Science and Technology of USh4.5 billion.
The solar bus has been built using60 per cent local materials and 40 per cent imported. The engineering, interior and the seats are from Uganda, while the windows are from Kenya. “This is an East African integration and I believe we should not go far away from East Africa. We should make use of what we have within the region,” said Akovuku.
He said the government of Uganda had provided them with 100 acres of land and is also financing electric vehicle manufacturing initiatives.
“The motor corporation also plans to start manufacturing gasoline vehicles such as SUVs, sedans, buses, trucks and pick-up trucks. We want to put what mechanical, industrial and telecommunication engineering students learn in class into use,” said Akovuku.
He urged African governments to support practical skills to help address issues of greenhouse gas emissions.
Akovuku said there should be proper policies on promotion of such local technologies that will not only create employment but will also also address environmental problems such as pollution.