The uYilo eMobility Program has started accepting applications for the uYilo Kick Start Fund, which will provide grant funding of up to R1 million ($63k) to e-mobility start-ups and related initiatives in 2022.
The uYilo Electric Mobility Programme was launched in 2013 as a collaborative multi-stakeholder effort to enable, facilitate, and mobilize electric mobility in South Africa.
The Technology Innovation Agency, a federal agency under the Department of Science and Innovation, is responsible for the initiative.
Last month, the European Union endowed the initiative with multimillion-rand funding, which will be used to empower and organize electric transportation across Africa.
The uYilo Kick Start Fund was founded in 2014 to help with the development of e-mobility-related products and services by providing an agile mechanism to fund applied research and development to enable, facilitate, and expedite e-mobility in South Africa.
The funds will be used for applied research to increase technological preparedness and contribute to the development of commercially viable goods, processes, or services to aid the growth of SA’s e-mobility industry.
All initiatives in the e-mobility ecosystem and value chain are encouraged to apply; each will be evaluated against a set of criteria and then managed throughout the development process to meet a set of milestones in order to reach a successful end.
Previously funded projects include battery systems, charging solutions, motors, inverters, remote monitoring systems, and electric cars. Project submissions will be evaluated against the criteria, and those chosen will be required to satisfy a set of milestones during the project development phase.
Final proposal documentation must be submitted to info@uYilo.org.za with the subject “Call for Proposals – uYilo Kick Start Fund” by Monday, January 31, 2022 at midday.