The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Electric mobility in Uganda is getting popular as commercial players join in to promote e-vehicles, the latest entrant being the Mandela Group, whose luck customers have been rewarded electric car donations.
City Oil, a subsidiary of the Mandela Group, has partnered with Linglong Tyres to support E-Mobility in Uganda by donating two electric vehicles to their customers.
The move is aimed at protecting the environment from carbon emissions coming from the fuel engines.
Uganda’s E-mobility strategy describes the country’s objectives and action plans for transitioning the country towards e-mobility in the transport sector putting Uganda as a net source rather than a consumer.
The country is one of the few in Africa to have pioneered the development of e-mobility. The government launched the programme a decade ago following the successful launch of the first electric car ever to be designed and built in Uganda, the Kiira EV, by Makerere University students.
Subsequently, the government created the Kiira Motors Corporation -KMC, so far a 100% state owned company, to actualize the dream of being an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for electric vehicles. KMC has since designed and built several prototypes including a solar powered bus, a saloon car, a multipurpose three wheeler ‘trike’ for farm-work and transportation, luxury electric buses and low emission diesel long distance coaches.
KMC has built a state of the art hi-tech electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Jinja due to be launched later this year. The main product being produced by KMC are electric passenger buses, for now being built in the Luwero Industries facility at Nakasongola. The first Uganda-made e-vehicle, the Kayoola EVS bus deployed five years ago has already completed its frost 100,000 kms on the road with any hitches
Richard Wandawa the Technical Manager of Mandela group while speaking to journalists on Friday highlighted the dangers of carbon emissions by the fuel engine engines saying that it is the most dangerous to the environment.
The two winners of the Electric vehicles emerged from the two-year promotion where customers who bought tires at any branch of City Tires would be entered into a draw to stand a chance to win an electric vehicle at the end of the promotion.
Wandawa also mentioned that the electric vehicles given out can move up to 300 kilometers on a full charge. He also mentioned that if the cars are charged on electricity used at home the process can last for 8 hours.
However, the city Oil Kira Road has placed a high-power charging point where users can charge their cars quickly.
Florence Nandede from Mbale, one of the winners of the electric vehicle was concerned about the the low ground clearance of the vehicles saying that Mbale is a hilly area where she may not be able to drive her vehicle. She however added that she will drive her vehicle in Jinja city where she has another home and a business.
Recently the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development installed two public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at their headquarters, located at Amber House in Kampala as part of the efforts to promote the electric mobility industry In Uganda.
Aaron Xu Vice President Ling Long China while speaking at a function where the lucky winners were given their cars mentioned that Linglong is committed to partnering with the Mandela group to deliver quality tires to Ugandans and also promote e-mobility in the country to aim at protecting the environment.
On the same day, they unveiled another draw, where customers of City Tire and Linglong stand a chance to win three cars.
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Popularizing them would be almost effortless if they could at least resemble normal cars,.
They should be affordable at least price