•The International Energy Agency projects that 60 per cent of global car sales will be electric by 2030.
•Kenya Power says it has enough electricity to charge 50,000 buses and two million motorcycles during off-peak hours.
Image: COURTESY
Kenya Power is in talks with at least five e-mobility firms as it readies to tap the electric vehicle market to grow sales, management has said.
The company plans to supply power to charging stations for electric vehicles in parking lots, key roads, and shopping malls in major towns, being developed by private investors.
It recently also hinted of putting up its own charging stations in future.
According management, the e-mobility evolution provides the company with an opportunity to grow its sales, as it continues with its turnaround plans after years of losses.
The country has witnessed continued growth in the adoption of electric vehicles with recent investments being in PSV buses.
There are units in the taxi industry and three wheelers, with Nairobi having majority of the EVs.
Nopea Ride is a leader in Kenya's electric taxi service.
In January, the Finnish electric cab firm had announced it planned to triple its fleet in Nairobi, helping reduce emissions from the populous city's notorious traffic.
EkoRent, the parent company of Nopea, had planned to have about 1,500 EVs in its ecosystem by the end of last year.
The electric fleet is giving Nopea a competitive edge over the gasoline vehicles that dominate the market.
The International Energy Agency projects that 60 per cent of global car sales will be electric by 2030.
The gradual tightening of fuel economy and tailpipe Carbon dioxide standards has augmented the role of electric vehicles to meet new standards, the agency notes.
“To support the growth of electrified motorisation in the country, Kenya Power has established a liaison office, which will act as our one-stop shop to champion the e-mobility business,” acting managing director Rosemary Oduor said yesterday.
She spoke during the flagging off of the first electric PVS bus by e-mobility start-up, BasiGo, in Nairobi.
This came after Swedish-Kenyan startup, Opibus, introduced an all-electric bus in the Kenyan market.
Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai yesterday said the industry is warming up to e-mobility in the PSV sector.
However, the industry is keen on the advantages and disadvantages of electric motor vehicles, mainly cost implications that come with their operation.
"If it is cutting our operating costs mainly on fuel, why not?," he posed.
Passenger electric vehicles registered in Kenya remain low and are estimated to be less than 500 units, compared to over 3.5 million internal combustion units.
Globally, there are about 10 million EVs on the roads. Of these, about 1,600 are in South Africa.
Kenya Power notes it has enough electricity to charge 50,000 buses and two million motorcycles during off-peak hours.
An average minibus, operating within Nairobi covers approximately 200 kilometers per day and consumes 120 KWh/units at a cost of Sh2,400.
“A thousand mini buses, operating within the city, would therefore consume approximately 120 MWh per day, presenting us with a viable business case to promote the e-mobility agenda,” Oduor said.
E-mobility, which is driving the green agenda, dovetails with the country’s energy mix which currently comprises over 92 per cent of renewable power, with a target of going fully green by 2030.
Kenya presently has an installed capacity of 2991 MW, and an off-peak load of 1200 MW.
“This means that there is enough power to support the entire e-mobility ecosystem, including powering charging stations for domestic and business use,” Oduor said.
The company, she said, will work with other stakeholders to support the development of the e-mobility eco-system, which will include the identification of sites for potential charging stations, as well as requisite geo-mapping software to enable users locate the nearest charging station.
The firm which returned to profitability last year is keen to increase sales and cut power losses.
Revenue from electricity sales increased by Sh9.8 billion in the financial year ended June 2021, to Sh125.9 billion, an increase of 8.4 per cent.
The increase is mainly attributable to a growth in unit sales by 400 GWh from 8,171 GWh the previous year to 8,571 GWh.
During the period under review, the company connected a total of 716,206 new customers compared to 500,397 connected the previous year.
This increased the total number of customers to 8.2 million.
Consumption by the new customers contributed an additional 122 GWh to electricity sales, translating to Sh2.6 billion in revenues.
The revenues from the new customers comprised 37 per cent from commercial and industrial customers, 34 per cent ordinary lifeline customers (consuming less than 100 monthly units),16 per cent from ordinary customers (consuming more than 100 monthly units), 11 per cent from small commercial customers, and two per cent from street-lighting.