Kenya electric vehicles uptake goes up five-fold
Sunday April 14 2024
Kenya is encouraging use of electric vehicles to reduce overload on power transmission lines. PHOTO | POOL
The number of electric vehicles and motorcycles registered in Kenya increased more than five times last year as more corporations and individuals migrated to clean mobility.
Data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) shows that the National Transport and Safety Authority registered a record 2,694 electric vehicles (EVs) in 2023, marking a significant increase from the 475 units the previous year.
It is also more than the cumulative number of EVs that had been previously registered in Kenya. The total number of EVs registered in the country by the end of 2023 stood at 3,753.
The energy regulator has attributed the increase in the registration of EVs to several incentives that have been introduced by the Kenyan government to promote e-mobility.
Read: Kenya bets on electric mobility to protect ageing system
“The increase in registered EVs may be attributed to government initiatives such as the introduction of the e-mobility tariff, reduction of excise duty on EVs from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, and exemption of fully electric cars from Value Added Tax (VAT),” said Epra.
Besides, individual buyers, corporates such as Kenya Power and KenGen are some of the firms that are seeking to transition their fleets from fossil fuels as part of their green goals.
This comes at a time when the government is seeking to further accelerate e-mobility to enable the country to utilize excess capacity during off-peak periods such as at night when cheap renewable energy goes wasted. The energy regulator for instance introduced an e-mobility tariff in April last year.
“The adoption of e-mobility is anticipated to elevate the country’s energy demand, particularly during off-peak periods historically characterized by low demand,” says Epra.