The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has issued a notice that will restrict the import of used electric motor vehicles with low battery life.
The notice, issued pursuant to Legal Notice No.78 of 28th April 2020, states that all used or secondhand electric motor vehicles must have a battery life of not less than 80% to be allowed for importation into the country.
“We wish to notify all importers of used/secondhand electric motor vehicles that all used/Secondhand electric motor vehicles must have battery life not less than 80% to be allowed for importation into the country,” the notice from KEBS, a statutory body mandated to offer quality inspection of imports, stated.
The move is aimed at ensuring that imported electric vehicles meet the required standards and perform optimally, according to the notice issued by the KEBS Managing Director. “This measure is necessary to protect consumers from purchasing substandard electric vehicles that may not perform as expected due to low battery life,” the notice read.
In addition to the battery life requirement, the notice also stipulates that used electric motor vehicles imported from Japan, UAE, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, and the UK are subject to mandatory pre-inspection by Quality Inspection Services Inc. (QISJ), which is the KEBS-appointed inspection agent for motor vehicles.
The new regulations come as Kenya continues to embrace electric mobility, with the government and private sector promoting the adoption of electric vehicles as a way to reduce emissions and address climate change.
