Rwanda turns to electrical motorbikes to drive down emissions

When Rwandan bike taxi driver Evode Niyorurema transformed his gasoline guzzler to an electrical motorcycle, he had no thought he was on the frontlines of the East African nation’s battle in opposition to local weather change.

“The reason I switched to an electric motorbike is because I wanted to avoid fuel costs, which are always rising, and also the cost of going to the garage all the time (for servicing),” the 37-year-old informed AFP.

The agency accountable for revamping his journey, Rwanda Electric Motors Ltd, has transformed round 80 bike taxis up to now—the commonest type of public transport within the capital Kigali—and developed one other 200 brand-new electrical motorbikes to be used.

The undertaking, which is funded by Rwanda’s authorities and the United Nations Development Programme, is a part of an formidable nationwide push to scale back carbon dioxide emissions by 16 % by 2030 and an extra 38 % over the next decade.

In July the federal government waived import taxes on electrical and hybrid vehicles in addition to tools utilized by charging stations, saying it hoped the transfer would speed up Rwanda’s transition from fuel-based transport and “reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.

Rwanda Electric Motors CEO Donald Kabanda informed AFP his pitch to riders rested on the long-term affordability of electric vehicles.

He mentioned a single electrical battery cost may cowl as much as 60 kilometres (37 miles) in comparison with 35 kilometres for a litre of petrol.

It prices round 900 Rwandan francs (87 US cents) to cost the battery in comparison with round 1,000 Rwandan francs for a litre of petrol, he added.

“So if you compare economically there is an advantage for the riders,” Kabanda mentioned.

In addition to his agency, two Kigali-based firms Ampersand and Safi Moto additionally assemble electrical motorbikes, whereas German big Volkswagen started importing electrical automobiles in October 2019 for its ride-hailing platform Move.

Low demand

Although taxes on non-electric imported automobiles run excessive in Rwanda—between 40 to 80 %—demand for electrical or hybrid cars stays low, even supposing they value lower than their fuel-guzzling counterparts.

Kigali-based Victoria Motors informed AFP it had offered simply 37 hybrid automobiles between 2019 and 2020, primarily to NGOs and personal corporations.

With Rwanda’s GDP per capita amounting to lower than $800 in line with the World Bank, electrical automobiles are out of attain for the overwhelming majority of its 13 million individuals.

Instead, the federal government is trying to public transport as the primary driver of change.

The authorities plan to transform 30 % of bikes, 20 % of buses and 25 % of mini and micro buses to electrical energy by 2030.

But with few charging stations arrange throughout the nation, travelling lengthy distances by electrical automobiles continues to be a problem, mentioned bike taxi driver Niyorurema.

“They move so well and quietly compared to the fuel motorbikes. The only problem… is that the distance they cover is relatively small.”

© 2021 AFP