Electric car manufacturer ROAM has launched the first mass transit electric bus in Nairobi, Kenya. The bus can go up to 360 kilometres before recharging and has a seating capacity of 77 passengers.
Geoffrey Muli, the managing director of Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), stated that the company can support Kenya’s e-mobility eco-system thanks to its installed capacity of 3077 megawatts (MW) and off-peak demand of 1100 MW during the bus’s unveiling in Nairobi.
“Through this office, we work with other stakeholders such as ROAM to support the development of the e-mobility ecosystem, which includes the identification of sites for potential charging stations, facilitation of connectivity and the testing of e-vehicles for potential investors,” Muli said.
Buses will first be deployed within the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, then afterwards be expanded to include additional areas. A number of charging stations from Opibus’ current line of products will also be deployed in addition.
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Denis Wakaba, a member of ROAM’s Transit Board, stated that the business will build its own charging infrastructure to support the buses. In August, Roam also announced a 90-passenger electric bus named Roam Rapid.
The bus will run along the Thika Superhighway, Mombasa Road, and Waiyaki Way. Currently, the bus operates along Juja from Fire Station Lane in the Central Business District. The prices will be equal to those that other bus companies currently charge.
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Among its unique selling points is its improved security measures like telematics, which combines communication and information technology to enable the storing and transmission of information. It will also include both an online and a cash payment system.
“We provided priority sitting for women, the elderly and children. We also have a wheelchair access ramp and its locking area,” Wakaba added
This launch marks the beginning of ROAM’s plan to flood the streets with hundreds of electric buses by 2023.
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