EV Charging Hubs in Kenya: How They Work and Why You Should Care

The fact that the future of automobiles is electric is no longer in question. We are slowly accepting that as a nation and continent, the move from internal combustion engines to Hybrids and fully electric vehicles is inevitable. And yes, we are not anywhere close to ready for the transition but the wheels have started rolling. E-mobility conversations are now becoming common and stakeholders are coming together to discuss how as a nation we can build capacity for electric vehicles.

Today, owning an electric vehicle in Kenya is a great challenge due to the fact that we are yet to have enough infrastructure to support the technology. There are only six charging stations in the county and all of which are in Nairobi. These charging stations are at Water Front, Sarit Center, Holy Family Basilica, TRM (Nopea), The Hub, and Two Rivers Mall. This, therefore, implies that one can only use an electric vehicle for town service only which actually beats the purpose of owning a vehicle.

A close up of an electric car being charged up using a car charging station. unsplush.com

Last Friday, an E-mobility training was held at Strathmore University that brought together policymakers and other key players and my main takeaway from the training is that the transition to clean energy is gaining steady momentum. Players such as Basigo who are looking into revolutionizing public transport have taken the forefront in driving the transition. As pioneers in this transition, they have been instrumental in working with KEBS to develop policies for E-mobility which will cut across both public and private transportation.

The policy measures that were floated in the training in regard to the charging infrastructure are that the government should make provisions for charging at the workplace, public parking, and along the highways. This will greatly reduce the chances of a car owner having to tow their vehicle due to lack of charge.

Further, Kenya power recently announced that they will start constructing electric charging systems for the public across the country in support of the move to clean energy. This is a sign of goodwill that will propel the technology forward as the E-mobility network infrastructure system is key for its growth. The increase in charging infrastructure will positively impact the adoption of electric cars in the country and probably in the future we will join the Netherlands which has the densest charging networks in the world at 19.3 charging stations per 100km.