• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Nigerian company pioneering Africa’s first electric van

Nigerian company pioneering Africa’s first electric van

Jet Motors, a Nigerian automobile manufacturer that designs and builds vehicles is testing new waters with the assembling of Africa’s first electric vans

Founded in 2018, JET Motor Company has been quietly innovating in the African automotive space. In 2019, the company launched the JET Mover, a line of luxury and customisable minibusses, in Nigeria.

Now the emphasis is on electric vehicles. The company is currently importing vehicle parts from China to build EV Vans in Africa’s biggest economy.

Jet Motors is planning to imports a power train from China’s Jing-Jin Electric Technologies Co., the battery from KeyPower, another Chinese firm, while the shock absorber is expected from Stellantis NV’s Jeep, according to Bloomberg.

According to Chidi Ajaere, chief executive officer, Jet Motor’s, the company is also in talks with private investors, Nigeria’s National Automotive Design and Development Agency and Canada’s Africa Development Capital that previously funded the research for the automobile, to invest in charging points in the country’s highways.

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“We will be able to further drive up the demand and appetite for electric vehicles once we get the needed charging infrastructure,” Ajaere said. “We can even use solar energy to charge the battery, which is cost-effective, compared to the standard electricity and it preserves the environment.”

Jet plans to ramp up production to 50 vehicles a day over the next three to five years if the charging points are installed in strategic locations in the country, according to Ajaere.

The company plans to meet rising demand from transportation and logistics firms turning to electric cars in Africa’s largest crude producing nation to cushion gasoline costs and other maintenance charges.

“We see immense opportunity for electric car makers to invest in Nigeria, if we look at just the population,” Ajaere said.

In March 2020, Jet Motors announced raising $9 million, from Canadian-based Africa Development Capital (ADC), Greatman Legend and a number of Asian investors, to build Africa’s first all-electric vehicle.

However, the long-term goal is that as JET attracts more partners and funding from VCs, it will build solar or wind-powered stations across the board.

There are several players in the African EV industry. Apart from JET in Nigeria, Siltech builds electric bikes, patrol vehicles, and even utility vehicles for the agricultural sector.

In Kenya, ARC Ride has launched two and three-wheelers which companies like Uber Eats and Kibanda Top Up use for deliveries. In Rwanda, Ampersand has introduced a fleet of electric motorcycle taxis, operating as an Uber of sorts while maintaining ownership of the vehicles.

In Uganda, Kiira Motors, which has built electric buses and cars since 2011, already ply the country’s roads.

Despite these strides, Africa is still grossly underrepresented. Ajaere believes JET Motor Company is excellently positioned to turn this around with its vehicles specifically designed for the continent’s bad roads and humid temperatures.

Nigeria’s automotive industry, much like the fintech space, has had its fair share of interesting policies and Ajaere once again echoes his thoughts on the policy outlook in Africa.

“You can have great ideas, but every great company had funding and good policies that incentivised them to make these vehicles easily accessible.

“If countries like Ghana and Nigeria have favourable policies, over time we should be able to export these vehicles not only within Africa but within the decade or next, move across the shores of Africa,” Ajaere concludes.