FreedomEV has unveiled first electric public transport taxis in Uganda market as solution to
addressing urban environmental pollution challenges.
Officiating at the launch event Ratan Tayel, Director of FreedomEV, highlighted that this taxi is fully electric, making it cost effective because it eliminates fuel use
“This vehicle will run 250 kilometres with one hour charging, and that hour charging will cost approximately shs40,000,” Tayel said.
Ratan noted that the vehicle is environmentally friendly because it does not use fuel and does not contribute to sound pollution.
“There is no sound, there is no pollution, So this is economical and environment friendly.”he stressed.
He stated that this electric vehicle will help the government save foreign currency by eliminating the need to import fuel from other countries.
“The government will save their foreign currency, because now they are consuming diesel and petrol, which we have to import from other countries, whereas we have electricity, if we use electricity, we will save foreign currency.”
Ratan revealed that their goal is to replace all old taxis in Uganda with electric taxis.
This matatu is an 11-seater, featuring comfortable seating, air conditioning, and WiFi, and costs shs 120 million.
It has a charging station at Bwaise Terminal, where a full charge takes only one hour and costs shs40,000.
Jafari Abuyi, the marketing manager, stated that they plan to use these vehicles for public transport and revealed their goal of introducing 14-seater vehicles and buses to make Uganda’s public transportation more eco-friendly.
Abuyi added that these electric vehicles benefit the economy by mitigating issues related to fuel price fluctuations.
“The car has a warranty of three years, and the battery life has a warranty of eight years, which is the main issue, since it’s fully electric, I mean, we don’t need to use fuel for it. So it saves the economy with with issues of fuel, sometimes we’ve been we’ve been having fluctuations in fuel prices, so it will really help us a lot, “he explained.
Fredrick Makanga a director at Kalocen Investments Ltd, the caretakers of Bwaise terminal, urged the government to embrace the concept of electric vehicles by promoting and encouraging their adoption.
