A solar-powered bus described by its Ugandan makers as the first in Africa has been driven in public. Kiira Motors' Kayoola protot...
A solar-powered bus described by its Ugandan makers
as the first in Africa has been driven in public. Kiira Motors' Kayoola prototype electric bus was
shown off at a stadium in Uganda's capital, Kampala. One of its two batteries can be charged by solar
panels on the roof which increases the vehicle's 80km (50 mile) range.
The makers now hope to attract partners to help
manufacture the bus for the mass market. Kiira Motors' chief executive Paul Isaac Musasizi
told BBC News that he had been "humbled" by the large and positive
reaction to the test drive.
Solar panels on the roof of the bus will top up the vehicle's battery
People have been excited by the idea that Uganda is
able to produce the concept vehicle, or prototype, and Mr Musasizi said he
wanted it to help the country "champion the automotive, engineering and
manufacturing industries" in the region.
He also hopes that it will generate employment,
predicting that by 2018, more than 7,000 people could be directly and
indirectly employed in the making of the Kayoola.
But backing from international companies, which
make vehicle parts, is essential for the project to take off.
The vision is that by 2039 the company will be able
to manufacture all the parts and assemble the vehicle in Uganda.
The 35-seat bus is intended for urban areas rather
than inter-city use because of the restrictions on how far it can travel.
If it is mass produced, each bus would cost up to
$58,000 (£40,000), which Mr Musasizi says is a competitive price.
Kiira Motors grew out of a project at Uganda's
Makerere University, which is now a shareholder in the company, and it has also
benefitted from government funding.
…African Leadership
