Kenya Power to spend Sh250m on electric vehicles, charging stations
Kenya Power MD and CEO Joseph Siror charges an electric vehicle yesterday during the launch of a charging station and two electric vehicles at Stima Plaza in Nairobi. He is with the utility’s transport manager, Mr David Mugambi.
What you need to know:
- Kenya Power is seeking to boost uptake of electric vehicles across the country.
- The utility firm has two charging stations in Nairobi and plans to install nine more chargers by July 2024.
- Due to the increased uptake of electric vehicles, especially motorcycles, demand for EV charging stations has grown.
Kenya Power will spend more than Sh250 million over the next three years on buying electric vehicles and setting up related infrastructure, such as charging stations, to boost the country’s uptake of e-mobility.
The utility said the amount includes the cost of setting up charging stations at various points across the country and buying electric vehicles and motorbikes to aid its operations.
The company on Monday launched an EV charging station at its head office in Parklands, Nairobi, as part of the investment.
The charging station, which cost Sh6.5 million, comprises two chargers — a 50 kilowatt (kW) direct current charger with a charging time of one hour and a 22kW alternating current charger with a two-hour charging time.
Kenya Power also has a similar charging station at its depot in Ruaraka, which hosts its transport section and plans to install nine more chargers by July 2024.
The stations will be built in Nakuru, Mombasa, Mtito Andei, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nairobi (Electricity House, Ragati, Donholm, and Roysambu).
“The future of transport is electric, and as a company, we are excited to lead the conversations around e-mobility. Alongside our need to charge our electric vehicles, we intend to use our EV charging stations to collect data that will inform the next steps of our support to the growing e-mobility sector,” Kenya Power Managing Director Joseph Siror said.
This comes as the utility prepares to host the second E-mobility Stakeholders’ Conference and Exhibition at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi.
Due to the increased uptake of electric vehicles, especially motorcycles, demand for EV charging stations has grown.
The National Transport and Safety Authority registered a record 2,694 EVs last year, a nearly sixfold increase from the 475 EVs registered in the previous year.
Mr David Mugambi, Kenya Power's transport services manager, adds that the charging station is a prototype, and the company will use the design as a guide when developing charging stations across the country.
“We have learnt a lot when putting up these stations, so we expect the next roll-out to be fast,” he remarked.
Mr Mugambi said electric vehicles would be available in the country’s major towns by June. These include Nyeri, Thika, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret as well as Nairobi.
“We have planned to cover the whole route to Mombasa, Kisumu, and Eldoret. In Phase 2, we are looking at the other route to Mount Kenya, enhancing the previous routes and the route to Kisumu. Phase 3 will focus on Western Kenya, that’s Kakamega, Siaya, and Busia,” he added.
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“We are also looking to have an electric motorcycle in every county by the end of the next financial year. So we expect that by the end of the next financial year, that is, June 2025, every villager in Kenya will have seen an electrical product within their neighbourhood. We are also looking to have at least a vehicle in half of the counties in this country within the next year,” Mr Mugambi indicated.
“The cost of one electric vehicle like the one we have right here is Sh9 million and the charging station cost about Sh500,000,” he remarked.
“On the commercial side, just like the fuelling station and others, both the infrastructure and the vehicle roll-out move in tandem. Getting investors on one side without investors on the other would be difficult. At the moment, there is enough resources in terms of the roll-out of the chargers, and they are much cheaper to roll out than buying the vehicles.”
Following Kenyan standards, the charging stations are equipped to handle all compatible electric vehicles.
“Electric vehicles are safe in the rain and water, but just like any other vehicle, they have a threshold beyond which you cannot put them in water. Otherwise, if the electric systems access water, there are protection devices within the vehicle which will make it stall like with any other vehicle,” he said.
