Last month, the government of Kenya announced plans to install fast-charging electrical stations at 25-kilometre intervals. The electric vehicles (EVs) charging stations will be located on all major highways in the country.
The ambitious plan is a government move to incentivise consumers to switch to EVs. Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) unveiled the scheme as part of new guidelines for EV battery charging.
“At least one charging station should be available in a grid of three kilometres by three kilometres. Additionally, one charging station shall be set up at every 25 Km on both sides of highways/roads”: EPRA wrote in a statement.
Based on the plan, the country is set to get 700 EV charging stations in Urban areas and 300 located along highways.
For long-range EVs such as heavy-duty vehicles e.g. buses and trucks, there will be at least one fast-charging station every 100 kilometres. The EV charging stations will be placed on each side of the highways.
Kenyans have doubts about the range of electric vehicles and the availability of charging stations, especially when travelling outside cities. For the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, petrol stations are ubiquitous across the country.
NCBA Launches EVs Charging Station
In September, NCBA launched electric vehicle charging stations at its head office in Upper Hill, Nairobi. The charging stations were launched as part of its broader sustainability drive in line with the bank’s ESG framework under the theme “NCBA Change The Story.” The charging stations at NCBA Centre Upper Hill will be available for their customers and staff to use.
This move made NCBA the first bank in the country to launch an EV charging station at its premises. Earlier in the year, NCBA announced a loan facility for Electric Vehicle Purchases in Kenya.
Further, the bank is set to work with partners to deploy electric vehicle charging stations across the East African region. The new electric vehicle charging stations installed at NCBA Centre, Upper Hill, were installed in partnership with EvChaja
EvChaja has a wide network of charging stations in the country. The company has charging stations in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nanyuki, Nakuru, and Kisumu.
