- Mobility Rising
- Posts
- Kenya is starting to make electric SUVs
Kenya is starting to make electric SUVs
Dear subscriber,
As the world ramps up EV production, Africa is still something of a spectator. Not everyone is happy with that status quo. Startups embark on ambitious local assembly projects. But can the continent make good enough electric cars at affordable prices?
Brian Ambani – Editor
 | Tad Motors, a Kenya-based EV company, has launched a locally-assembled electric SUV, the country’s first. The SUV, named Dhahabu, was unveiled in Nairobi with the company opening orders for the car. Tad Motors runs an assembly plant in Naivasha, 90 km Northwest of Nairobi. The company plans to roll out other models named Makena, Amani and Fahari. |
EV assembly is on the rise in Kenya, but the vast majority of its capacity is for production of electric motorcycles and bicycles. Companies are moving into assembly of large capacity EVs like cars, vans and buses using both existing fuel car assembly plants and new EV-only plants.
Across Africa, local and foreign companies are setting up electric car assembly plants to cater for expected demand. But local assemblers are struggling to keep up with cheap imports, mainly from China, raising concerns.
Our take: Without scale, local assembly will remain too expensive and uncompetitive… Read more (2 min)
 | Ethio Telecom is doubling down on a new business segment to diversify its revenue: Powering electric vehicles. The move into EV charging by Ethiopia’s national telco positions it to capture a slice of a market that is potentially lucrative following the country’s aggressive and some say hasty ban on fossil-fuel vehicle imports. |
Ethio Telecom this week rolled out its third high-speed electric vehicle charging station with 16 charging points in the capital Addis Ababa. Its two other charging stations have a total of 32 charging points. The chargers are compatible with European EV models, addressing a critical market gap.
Private companies are also rapidly rolling out chargers. TotalEnergies Ethiopia was one of the first, while startups like Green Tech Africa and Munja Group are building new charging networks for various EV segments.
Our take: Ethiopia already has a coordinated national charging roadmap. What it now needs is to act on it… Read more (2 min)
 | Building charging infrastructure that works across multiple battery types isn’t easy. Batteries vary in size, orientation, connector design and capacity. But Mazi Mobility is doing it, says Brian Kipkurui, a hardware engineer at the Nairobi-based startup. Mazi is making this possible, he claims, by partnering with key players in Kenya to develop a solution that has been complex to crack. |
Mr Kipkurui has supported prototype development at Mazi Mobility for two years, focusing on hands-on testing and rapid design iteration. His work helps refine the hardware for reliability, safety and real-world performance.
He sees strengthening the grid and local distribution to keep charging reliable as a national priority. “If power remains unstable, it could become the biggest obstacle to Kenya’s EV transition,” says Mr Kipkurui.
AG Energies showcases an electric motorcycle model during the transport week exhibition in Tanzania (Source: AG Energies)
Jobs
📈 Join Tesla as a Sales Advisor (Morocco)
💼 Apply for carbon credits consultant role at Siemens Stiftung (Kenya)
👷♀️ Become a Fleet Officer at MAX (Nigeria)
Events
📅 Attend the Africa EV Mobility Expo in Kenya (Dec 4)
📅 Showcase your tech at EMAK’s Open Day (Dec 5)
📅 Book a slot at a blended finance for green projects shindig (Dec 10)
Various
🚙 The story of South Africa’s JOULE electric vehicle
🚘 BYD Sealion 5 set to revolutionise South African roads
⬆️ Kenya-assembled vehicles rise 11% as more models are introduced
Seen on LinkedIn
Warren Ondanje, Managing Director of AfEMA, says, “A small but growing number of financial institutions from banks are already partnering with institutions and e-mobility providers to avail financing products, though growth is still leaning on passenger and public transport solutions and less of institutional transformation.”