Technology
Saturday, May 21, 2022
An electric car being charged at a station. PICTURES | BOWL
Real estate company Dowgate Properties has set up an electric vehicle charging station in Naivasha, the first outside Nairobi, as it seeks a share of the rapidly growing market.
The station is located at Naivasha Safari Centre, Dowgate’s new shopping mall whose anchor tenant is Naivas Supermarket, along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
The company joins others like ChargeNet and Drive Electric, which have set up centers in Nairobi to provide the equivalent of filling stations for electric cars.
The electricity distributor Kenya Power says it is ready to work with electric mobility companies by providing electricity to recharge the batteries.
“Car ownership and commuting has completely changed over the past decade and is set to change even more as Kenyans…are also starting to embrace electric vehicles (EVs),” said James Hoddell, founder and director of Dowgate Properties.
Momentum has grown for the adoption of electric vehicles in Kenya as calls for clean energy solutions to reverse the impact of climate change grow louder.
Lily: Electric cars are gradually taking over Kenyan roads
Some of the startups that have established their bases in Kenya include BasiGo, Kiri, and Opibus.
BasiGo is pioneering a new generation of eco-friendly buses that aim to reduce carbon emissions in major cities like Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa.
Opibus converts diesel and gasoline vehicles and motorcycle engines to electric, while Kiri manufactures electric motorcycles.
The Safari Centre, which also has restaurants and children’s play areas, is Dowgates’ premier shopping centre. The firm plans to open a similar center in Makutano, along the Nairobi-Nyeri road.
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