Roam, a Kenyan electric vehicle manufacturing company has launched an electric bus targeting public transport .
The electric bus which has been dubbed Rome Rapid, has a capacity to carry 90 passengers with room for both seating and standing commuters.
According to the company , they were looking to create a mobility solution that is inclusive, modern, efficient and sustainable. “The focus for the bus has been to design a robust vehicle with best in class carrying capacity, range and comfort to enable mass adoption of clean transport across the continent,” said Dennis Wakaba, Roam project coordinator.
The bus comes with a 384-kWh battery pack that allows for a range of 360 km and has the ability to fully charge in less than 2 hours through DC charging ports hence giving operators full flexibility to decide their charging and operating schedule.
The Changing Transport Organisation report, found that between 2000 and 2016, Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a 75% increase in emissions, with transport emissions increasing by 153% in Ghana, 73% in Kenya, and 16% in Nigeria.
Following the health and environmental concerns and the need to reduce dependency on oil imports, electric mobility is currently gaining prominence across the continent’s public and private sectors.
Electricity company KenGen and supplier Kenya Power are currently planning to set up charging hubs of electric mobility units.
KenGen said that it has already set up one station in Nairobi and is now importing cars to test the hubs. Kenya Power on the other hand announced on Tuesday that it would test its stations in Nairobi and Nakuru from next month.
Roam joins Kenyan electric vehicle start-up BasiGo which has launched Sh5 million passenger electric bus as demand for environmentally friendly transport rises
Car and General (C&G) in January promised that it will start selling electric vehicles and tuk-tuks as part of a plan to diversify into the ‘green’ mobility business that is expected to grow amid a push to address climate change and pollution.