ENGINEERING FOR CHANGE
Kenya Paves the Way Toward an EV Future
Although electric vehicles are considered most prominent in western and eastern markets, there’s another rapidly emerging market: Kenya.
Written by Mercy C. Wanjiku Nduati
FOR THE MOST PART, the electric vehicle (EV) innovation race is a battle among developed countries like China and the United States, waged by automakers such as Tesla, Lucid, BYD, and Neo.
But these nations are not the only places where EVs are thriving. In Kenya, efforts to encourage electric vehicle adoption are on the rise with the government providing incentives such as the introduction of an e-mobility tariff, a reduction in excise duty on EVs, and developing charging infrastructure.
According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2024 Energy Policy Review on Kenya, the transportation sector—which remains primarily petroleum-reliant—represented 22 percent of Kenya’s total fuel consumption in 2023.
The report added that Kenya is making notable strides in the transition to electric mobility, despite EVs accounting for just 1.6 percent of new vehicle registrations in 2023. That’s well below the global average of 18 percent, but slightly ahead of Africa’s continental average of nearly 1 percent. Government efforts to boost adoption are beginning to show results: annual EV registrations surged from 475 in 2022 to 2,694 in 2023.
Almost half a billion people have energy access through off-grid solar technologies, according to a report by GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. Photo: Greenlight Planet
A SHIFT AHEAD
In Kenya, Moja EV Africa is providing green travel solutions, primarily with EVs. The company has partnered with Chinese EV manufacturers NETA AUTO and Skyworth Auto to offer EV models such as the Neta V in Kenya, with a particular focus on the taxi market.
Taxi operator Joseph Njoroge uses an EV in his daily business. “With my Neta V 2024, I spend just Kshs 800 [US$6] a day on electricity and I can drive up to 401 kilometers as the car runs on a battery with no gearbox and no engine,” he said. “I barely do any maintenance beyond the wheels and brakes.”
He added that charging is easy, with charging stations located in Nairobi. “Compared to my old ICE [internal combustion engine] vehicle, I’m saving between Kshs 3,000 to 5,000 [US$20-40] every 5,000 kilometers. All that in less than a month,” Njoroge said.
The Neta V “comes with a charging kit that includes a portable charger, which is 3.3 kilowatts, a stationary charger, which is 7.7 kilowatts,” said Winny Achieng, sales director at Moja EV Africa, in a recent television interview. “Once you buy the car, the company sends a technician to come and install it in your house without worrying about the need to go and charge outside.”
“Understanding how an EV functions begins with its internal design, especially components like the battery and data transmission systems connected to the cloud.”
— Paul Kamau, lead embedded systems engineer, Gear Box Europlacer
“Understanding how an EV functions begins with its internal design, especially components like the battery and data transmission systems connected to the cloud,” said Paul Kamau, Gear Box Europlacer’s lead embedded systems engineer. His team designs control units that power electric vehicle operations.
The car’s 45 kW battery takes about five to six hours to charge and can be quick-charged to between 30 to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. There is also a 6.6 kW onboard emergency charger that will fully charge the battery in about 11 hours. The Neta V has a motor power of 70 kilowatts and 150 Newton-meters of torque, while the car’s maximum speed is capped at 101 kilometers per hour.
One of the IEA’s recommendations is that governments support the development of charging points and infrastructure to increase transport electrification. The agency argues that targeted support for the electrification of public transport should continue, as the introduction of electric buses, for example, has recently gained momentum.
There are signs of change. The IEA’s Global EV Outlook (GEVO) highlighted a surge in EV adoption across Africa, with sales more than doubling to nearly 11,000 units. While market penetration remains below 1 percent, countries like Morocco and Egypt are showing promising growth, each exceeding 2,000 new EV registrations.
Additionally, a ban on imports of ICEs in Ethiopia at the start of 2024 led to a reported deployment of 100,000 EVs, the GEVO reported. While model availability appears to be reasonable in the country, there are reports that garages struggle to source components for repairs, and that deployment of chargers outside of the capital has not kept pace with electric car sales.
On the other hand, that Morocco and Egypt are investing in localized production of EVs and battery systems, driven by export ambitions to the EU, according to the IEA. This has pushed domestic deployment, with the sales shares reaching just under 2 percent. GEVO also reported that Nigeria is now looking into strengthening its EV manufacturing capacity with support from Morocco. And in 2024, Nigeria signed a Zero Emission Vehicles Declaration, which targets making all new cars and van sales being zero emission by 2040.
Almost half a billion people have energy access through off-grid solar technologies, according to a report by GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. Photo: Greenlight Planet
INTENTIONAL DESIGN
A fully charged EV today can deliver the same range as a fully fueled ICE vehicle. So, battery makers are tackling the next major problem plaguing EV adoption: refueling time.
As for the design of vehicles like the Neta V, it’s minimal, especially when compared to conventional ICE vehicles, with just a logo and automatic halogen headlights on the front. Neta V has daytime running lights, no front grill, and the air intakes are found at the bottom front side of the car. It has standard 16-inch alloy wheels and the subcompact SUV stands about 1.5 meters high. On the back is an inverted-U design, with an LED taillight, one reversing light, and reflector lights.
EVs use approximately 87 to 91 percent of a battery’s energy, along with regenerative braking to propel the vehicle. Gasoline vehicles only convert about 16 to 25 percent of gasoline energy into movement (averaging highway and city driving).
But battery technology is advancing as well. Chinese battery manufacturer SEVB recently unveiled the world’s first 1,401 A ultra-fast charging battery that delivers more than 93 miles (150 kilometers) of range on a single minute’s charge. The battery, dubbed Star Chaser 2.0, is among the battery and charging innovations the company unveiled at the 17th Shenzhen International Battery Fair in China.
Various initiatives, such as tax incentives, a reduction in the excise duty on EVs, and exemption of fully EVs from value-added tax are spurring the growth of E-mobility in Kenya. As of May 2025, Kenya Power reported that there are approximately 9,047 EVs registered in Kenya, compared to 2,694 and 5,294 that were registered in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and all evidence indicates that number will likely continue to grow in the years ahead.
MERCY C. WANJIKU NDUATI is an editorial fellow based in Nairobi, Kenya, with Engineering for Change, an online platform for innovators working to solve problems in sustainable global development. ASME is a founding partner of E4C.
© 2025 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. All rights reserved.