Time ripe for Kenya to adopt electric-powered vehicles
Robert Pavel Oimeke
The timing has never been more right for the introduction of electricity-powered vehicles in Kenya.
This move would solving two major problems facing the country and indeed the entire world.
First is the high levels of greenhouse gas emissions that are the cause of global warming.
The second is the public health challenge associated with respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses resulting from pollution by exhaust fumes.
Many Kenyans may not be aware that the country has achieved the rare feat of significantly reducing the proportion of electricity that comes from the burning of fossil fuels, particularly petroleum products and coal.
Currently, more than 90 per cent of our electricity is generated from renewable sources.
Furthermore, the government has the ambitious target of moving this proportion to 100 per cent before 2030.
As such, increasing the number of vehicles powered by clean energy would, therefore, be a fitting aspiration for a country that is pursuing a low carbon development pathway.
From adopting electric two and three-wheelers to electric cars (Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs), personal cars and buses, electric mobility is a cost-effective solution for tackling air pollution and emissions.
Globally, it is estimated that the transport sector, which is hugely dependent on fossil fuel, contributes approximately 25 per cent of all energy-related carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, with this number set to grow to one-third by 2050.
This makes the transport sector one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Research shows fossil-fueled emissions also produce smog, soot and other air pollutants.
Locally, the demand for motorcycles and three-wheelers (primarily used as taxis), has increased considerably in both urban and rural areas in the country.
The cumulative total number of registered motorcycles as at the beginning of 2018 was estimated at 668,572 and it is projected that the number of two-wheeler motorcycles will have risen by over 500,000 by 2030.
This has a significant contribution to the increasing level of emission of pollutants by the transport sector.
Indeed, studies have shown that the cumulative carbon dioxide emission from two and three wheelers is of the same magnitude as that from LDVs.
What’s more, the two and three wheelers emit several more potent greenhouse gases by the virtue of the use of a carburetor in their fuel system and the absence of pollution control equipment.
Therefore, reducing transportation emissions is not only a fundamental measure towards environmental conservation and mitigation of climate change effects, but also a means to improve public health.
As a country, we need to urgently and quickly transition from dependence on fossil fuel-powered vehicles to zero emissions transportation.
So far, many countries around the world are implementing policies that support electric vehicles.
Likewise, car makers are increasingly turning green and implementing eco-friendly mobility strategies with the aim to manufacture environmentally friendly vehicles.
For example, in Norway, almost half (44.3 per cent) cars sold in 2019 were electric.
Similarly, in China, electric two and three wheelers have replaced petrol motorbikes in its major cities.
It is estimated to take over 20 years to overhaul a country’s vehicle fleet to electric mobility.
Therefore, as a nation, we have a window of opportunity to make steps towards low emission in the transport sector.
Worth noting is that Kenya was ranked position five globally in the 2019 annual Bloomberg index that measures investments and opportunities in clean energy due to higher contribution of solar, wind and geothermal capacity into the overall energy mix in the country.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority recently launched the electric mobility report that will inform electric motor vehicle policies for public transport in the country.
The report is implemented under the UNEP Electric Mobility Programme that supports the adoption of a sustainable low emission and cleaner transport system in developing countries.
Kenya is a rapidly growing economy with an expected increase in the demand for transport as more people and goods and services move across towns and countries.
As such, the time for Kenya to transition to electric motor vehicles is now. —The writer is the director general, Energy & Petroleum Regulatory Authority
