Kenyan electric vehicle company, Humming Bird Transport, has announced that it will be providing the tourism industry with electric cars.
Its initial partner is the Trademark Hotel located in Nairobi’s Village Market.
In the coming months, the company plans to expand its services to other hotels and sectors within the hospitality and tourism industry.
The Trademark Hotel, located in Nairobi County’s diplomatic district, has taken a step to become a leader among its peers by implementing environmentally friendly measures in line with the County Government’s agenda for a cleaner and greener city.
As part of this initiative, the hotel has introduced four fully electric Nissan Leaf vehicles in partnership with Humming Bird.
They will run on an electric motor and battery instead of an internal combustion engine. These vehicles, which are 2018 and 2019 models, have a 40 kWh battery and 110 kW motor, allowing for a range of 250 km.
They are also high-performance vehicles with 5 seats, 435 litres of trunk space, and a 5-star NCAP safety rating.
The vehicles will be charged at the hotel. They take up to 6 hours to fully charge, but a faster charger can juice them up in an hour. However, these fast chargers will not be used.
We also managed to get a test drive from the Hotel to Kinoo, Kikuyu. The vehicle dropped 11 percent in charge for an 18 km journey.
Humming Bird says it plans to bring up to 20 cars by March 2023. The plan is also to have more than 100 electric vehicles for the industry by 2024/25.
READ MORE: STATE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN KENYA
According to Joe Murai, a co-founder of the company, which was launched back in 2017, Humming Bird is also planning to venture into the matatu industry. This means that they will match the business model offered by the likes of ROAM and BasiGo. The two companies have been at the forefront of popularizing mass transit electric vehicles in Nairobi.
Humming Bird has also a bunch of other electricity-powered transport machines, including motorbikes and bikes. However, they are not part of the partnership.
Recent observations have revealed that the demand for sustainable tourism products has been on the rise. It is noted that travelers have become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their travels and as a result, they are seeking out brands that take this impact into consideration. Dr. Manish Shah, Director of the Tribe Hotels Group, remarked on this trend.
Trademark is situated within the Village Market, a destination for shopping and entertainment that features over 250 outlets and attracts a diverse mix of cultures. The mall also includes a hospital, gym, family entertainment, and recreational facilities, and is home to two modern hotels, Trademark and Tribe.
The launch of electric vehicles is part of the hotel’s green initiative called “The Green Village,” which also includes other sustainable efforts such as a sewage treatment plant, waste management, textile recycling, and tree planting.
