In Kenya, Opibus, a Swedish-Kenyan tech startup, has just launched the first all-electric bus and the first African-designed electric bus ever to be introduced. This is a significant step towards the goal of mass-producing an electric bus built and engineered in-house for the pan-African market by 2023.
A report by TechCrunch confirms that Opibus has over the last five years been in the business of future-proofing existing gasoline and diesel vehicles by converting them to electric.
Local engineering talent and production partners were engaged to design and build the bus in-house. The vehicle will also be cheaper than importing completely manufactured electric buses. Plus, it offers better performance than its diesel equivalent.
There is more torque when a powerful motor is used, which improves performance and lets the driver accelerate more quickly, making the bus go faster. It also doesn’t have a combustion engine or manual gearboxes, so there is no need to change oil, filters, or seals. This means that maintenance costs for a hybrid bus will be about 80% less than for a diesel bus.
Following the ever-increasing diesel prices, the total operating costs have been cut by 50%. This will have a huge impact on the public transportation industry in Africa.
According to Project Coordinator – Public Transportation Dennis Wakaba, the first electric bus will be commercially available in the middle of the year. It plans to launch 10 buses in commercial service in the second half of 2022 as a large-scale test after that.
Opibus plans to launch 10 buses in commercial service in the second half of 2022 as a large-scale test after that. The company is making sure they get important feedback so they can keep developing the product for the best market fit.
People in periurban areas outside of Nairobi Metropolitan will be the first to get the buses, and they will be paired with a business model that lets operators save money right away.
Opibus claims its vehicles are designed and constructed locally, providing them with a price edge when they hit the market. A number of its charging stations will be erected as part of the bus deployment. Slow AC chargers will be mixed in with fast DC chargers, so the electric bus can be fully charged in an hour, allowing for smooth operations.
