NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) E-mobility companies in Africa are beginning to assemble electric vans and taxis locally, using Chinese-made kits and innovative financing to spread use of electric public transport across the continent.
Saglev of Nigeria has begun assembling 18-seater passenger electric vans using imported kits supplied by Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Corp. The Lagos-based company says it plans to make up to 2,500 vehicles a year, eventually assembling 17 electric models for Nigeria and other West African markets.
This is a major step in Nigerias transition toward clean, fossil-free transportation, said Saglevs CEO Olu Falaye. He said the van is the first locally assembled electric vehicle of its kind for mass transit in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
This feat is a clear signal that electric mobility in Nigeria is practical, scalable and ready for adoption, Falaye said.
Saglev is a joint venture between Nigerias Stallion Group, a major auto distributor, and Chinese automaker Sokon Motor. It also plans to install solar-powered charging stations to provide more reliable sources of power, a key challenge for EV adoption in some parts of Africa.
Theres a similar push in Kenya, where Chinese backed Rideence Africa recently signed a $2.46 million deal with Mombasa-based Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) to begin local assembly of electric taxis and minibuses from kits supplied by Chinas Jiangsu Joylong Automobile and Beijing Henrey Automobile Technology.
We are now moving decisively from operator to manufacturer, said Rideence Africas managing director, Minnan Yu. Our aim is to build a Kenya-rooted new-energy mobility company serving Africa.
Kenya and Nigeria, two of Africas largest economies, are leading the push for local EV assembly as countries seek to cut fuel costs, reduce emissions and build domestic manufacturing capacity.
This partnership delivers Kenyas first dedicated electric vehicle assembly line, demonstrating clearly that Kenya has the capacity and capability to assemble EVs locally at scale, AVA Managing Director Matt Lloyd said.
Electric vans and minibuses are central to public transport across Africa, where Japanese models such as the Toyota Hiace and Nissan vans dominate the roads, carrying passengers and goods.
EV charging costs average about $3 for up to 200 kilometers (123 miles), compared with more than $15 in petrol costs for similar distances.
The assembly of electric vans is emerging as a strong market segment, said Dennis Wakaba, the secretary-general of the Electric Mobility Association of Kenya. Earlier, the cost of electric vans was high, putting off operators. But as local assembly scales up, these costs have dropped, attracting more orders.
Kenya has one of Africas most active electric mobility markets, with startups assembling buses and vans and deploying them for public transport and ride-hailing. Ethiopia and South Africa also have entered the market. In Ethiopia, Belayneh Kinde Group (BKG) assembles about 150 minibuses a month using Chinese components.
To make EVs more affordable, companies like Rideence are adopting pay-as-you-drive and lease-to-own options that let operators avoid expensive initial payments. It leases its taxis to drivers for about $18 per day.
BasiGo-Kenya Vehicle Manufacturer, which also is expanding into electric vans assembly, requires operators of its EVs to pay a deposit and then about 20 U.S. cents per kilometer (32 cents per mile) driven.
That approach fits with financial realities for transport operators in Africa, where access to credit is limited and few can afford to purchase new vehicles outright.
These innovative financing models mitigate risks for both assembler and operators, helping put vehicles on the road faster. With these, we expect to see more e-vans taking a larger share of the African transport systems, Wakaba said.
Still, there are only about 30,000 EVs in Africa, compared with millions of gas and diesel-fueled vehicles, latest figures from the Africa Mobility Alliance shows. The continent manufactured only 1.1 million vehicles in all last year, 90% of them in Morocco and South Africa.
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肯尼亚内罗毕（美联社）——非洲的电动出行公司正开始在当地组装电动货车和出租车，利用中国制造的套件和创新融资方式，推动电动公共交通在整个非洲大陆的普及。
尼日利亚企业萨格列夫（Saglev）已开始利用中国汽车制造商东风汽车集团提供的进口套件组装18座电动客车。这家总部位于拉各斯的公司表示，计划每年生产多达2500辆汽车，最终将为尼日利亚及其他西非市场组装17款电动车型。
萨格列夫（Saglev）公司首席执行官奥卢·法拉耶（Olu Falaye）表示：“这是尼日利亚向清洁无化石燃料交通转型的重要一步。”他指出，这款电动小巴是尼日利亚乃至撒哈拉以南非洲地区首款本土组装的同类大众运输电动汽车。
法拉耶表示：“这一成就明确表明，电动汽车在尼日利亚具有实用性、可扩展性，并且已具备推广条件。”
萨格列夫（Saglev）是尼日利亚大型汽车经销商斯塔利恩集团（Stallion Group）与中国汽车制造商小康汽车（Sokon Motor）共同组建的合资企业。该公司还计划安装太阳能充电站，以提供更可靠的电力来源——这是非洲部分地区推广电动汽车面临的关键挑战。
肯尼亚也出现了类似的推进举措。由中国支持的Rideence Africa公司近期与蒙巴萨的联合汽车组装公司（AVA）签署了一份价值246万美元的协议，将利用中国江苏九龙汽车和北京亨利汽车科技公司提供的套件，在当地组装电动出租车和小型巴士。
睿登非洲（Rideence Africa）董事总经理喻敏南表示："我们正坚定地从运营商转型为制造商，目标是打造一家扎根肯尼亚、服务非洲市场的新能源出行企业。"
肯尼亚和尼日利亚作为非洲两大经济体，正积极推动本土电动汽车组装产业，以降低燃料成本、减少排放并提升国内制造业产能。
AVA公司董事总经理马特·劳埃德表示：“此次合作建成了肯尼亚首条专用电动汽车组装线，充分证明肯尼亚已具备大规模本土组装电动汽车的能力。”
电动面包车和小型巴士是非洲公共交通的核心，丰田海狮和日产等日本车型在当地道路上占据主导地位，承担着客运和货运的重要任务。
电动汽车充电费用平均每200公里（约123英里）仅需约3美元，而同等距离的汽油车燃油费用则超过15美元。
肯尼亚电动交通协会秘书长丹尼斯·瓦卡巴表示：“电动货车的组装正成为一个强劲的市场细分领域。早期电动货车成本高昂，令运营商望而却步。但随着本地组装规模扩大，这些成本已有所下降，吸引了更多订单。”
肯尼亚拥有非洲最活跃的电动出行市场之一，初创企业在此组装巴士和厢式货车，并将其投入公共交通和网约车服务。埃塞俄比亚和南非也已进军这一市场。在埃塞俄比亚，贝拉尼赫·金德集团（BKG）每月使用中国零部件组装约150辆小型巴士。
为了让电动汽车更加经济实惠，像Rideence这样的公司正在采用按里程付费和租赁转拥有的方案，使运营商能够避免高昂的初始费用。该公司以每天约18美元的价格将出租车租赁给司机。
肯尼亚巴士制造公司BasiGo正将业务扩展至电动货车组装领域，该公司要求其电动车的运营商支付押金，之后按行驶里程收费，每公里约20美分（合每英里32美分）。
这一方案符合非洲运输运营商面临的财务现实——当地信贷渠道有限，鲜有企业能直接全额购买新车。
若林（Wakaba）表示：“这些创新融资模式降低了组装商和运营商的风险，有助于车辆更快上路。我们预计，未来将有更多电动货车在非洲交通系统中占据更大份额。”
然而，非洲移动联盟最新数据显示，非洲仅有约3万辆电动汽车，而汽油和柴油车数量高达数百万辆。去年整个非洲大陆仅生产了110万辆汽车，其中90%集中在摩洛哥和南非。
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