First full electric mobility company in Nairobi launches

EkoRent, a Finnish electric mobility company, has announced the launch of Nopia Ride in Nairobi, the first ever full electric mobility service in East Africa.

In the first phase of the investment programme, the company began operations that are set to see the number of electric vehicles increase to several hundred by the end of 2018. These vehicles can be easily charged around Nairobi in several conveniently located Nopia Charging Bays.

The vehicles are easy to locate and book using the Nopia mobile app. Besides cash, the trip can be paid for using embedded M-Pesa Xpress functionality.

Head of Public Health, Dr. Ombacho, said: “In line with the United Nation Goals for Sustainable Development, I am happy to see Kenya continue to play her part particularly in the pursuance of sustainable and clean energy. I urge more players in the private sector to prioritise developing environmentally friendly technologies and compliment the government’s efforts on implementing them.”

In addition to being eco-friendly on the road, Nopia’s electric cars are low in lifecycle carbon footprint. Overall, batteries of electric vehicles can be used for about 10-15 years and even after the power capacity of the batteries declines, they can still be used for years after, for example, as home energy storage.

EkoRent Founder and CEO, Juha Suojanen, said: “Nairobi is a fast-growing city with considerable traffic congestion. The World Bank reports that the transport sector accounted for more than half of all the carbon dioxide emissions Kenya produced in 2014. Nopia electric ride service can help in solving the increasing emission and urban transportation challenges while creating jobs for the populace.”

The company hopes to tackle harmful air pollution by offering the 100 per cent emission-free service.