The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) on Tuesday, January 7 reiterated its plan to phase out its entire fleet of 2,000 fossil fuel-powered vehicles through the purchase of new electric vehicles.
KPLC has also set aside KSh40 million for the purchase of three electric vehicles and the construction of three electric vehicle-charging stations within Nairobi.
However, the company revealed that the electric vehicles will preferably be charged during the off-peak hours at night due to the demand drop in that period.
“The country has an installed capacity of 3,321MW against a peak demand of 2,132MW. During offpeak, which happens late in the night, the demand drops to about 1,100MW,” read part of the statement.
KPLC further stated that 90% of the electricity dispatched to the grid comprised of clean energy generated through renewable sources and that it rose to 100% during most of the night off-peak time.
“Charging electric vehicles, especially at night would, therefore, help bridge the gap between off-peak load available generation capacity as well as raise the average demand to above 1,500MW, making e-mobility more environmentally friendly end to end,” the entity advised.
According to KPLC, the demand for electric-powered vehicles was expected to accelerate in the coming years due to increased awareness of the benefits of e-mobility.
"We see this as an organic opportunity for us to support the country’s green agenda and drive demand for electricity," KPLC continued in a statement.
Additionally, the utility firm has recently completed piloting 13 electric bikes in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which were used by meter readers and its revenue collection team.
The move to have electric vehicles in the country has since gathered pace with Swedish electric bus company Roam Limited launching an electric bus targeting public transport.
Dubbed Rome Rapid, the mass transit bus has a capacity of 90 passengers with room for both seating and standing commuters.
The company would on October 19, 2022, announce new routes targeting Nairobi residents in an expansion plan.
The buses will ply Thika Superhighway, picking and dropping off passengers along that busy road, including Allsops, Roysambu, and Ruiru, among others.
