The article discusses BasiGo, an e-bus company that has established a charging station in Nairobi, Kenya. BasiGo aims to promote electric mobility in the country and replace imported diesel with clean power by introducing electric buses. The company's initiative aligns with the growing electric vehicle (EV) market in Nairobi, which includes other companies like ROAM Mobility and Hummingbird.

One of the challenges in EV adoption is the availability of charging stations. BasiGo has addressed this by launching the first publicly available fast-charging station for its electric bus fleet. The facility is connected to Kenya's e-mobility tariff approved by the Energy & Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA). The tariff offers affordable electricity for EV charging during nighttime, leveraging the surplus of renewable energy available during those hours. Around 90% of Kenya's electricity has been generated from renewable sources, and during off-peak hours, this percentage reaches 100%.

The charging station can initially accommodate six buses simultaneously, but it will be upgraded to support up to 25 vehicles by the end of the year. With this new addition, BasiGo now operates three charging stations capable of charging over 20 electric buses. The station will serve as the dedicated charging location for electric buses operated by OMA Sacco and Embassava Sacco.

Each electric bus deployed by BasiGo replaces the consumption of 20,000 liters of imported diesel with 50 MWh of locally generated clean electricity per year. The introduction of the e-mobility tariff has facilitated infrastructure investments like the charging station, promoting the rapid growth of Kenya's electric vehicle industry.

Dr. (Eng.) Joseph Siror, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Kenya Power, highlights that the transportation sector in Kenya contributes to a significant portion of emissions in the energy sector. Supporting the growth of the e-mobility sector is crucial in combating this trend. Kenya, as a leader in clean energy, has the opportunity to become a launching pad for the development of the electric vehicle industry in the region.

BasiGo plans to make its charging stations accessible to the public for charging electric cars and trucks by the end of 2023. The company also intends to deploy similar charging stations across Nairobi and eventually throughout the country. These efforts aim to facilitate the deployment of 1,000 electric buses to Nairobi bus operators within the next three years.

Kenya Power is also taking steps to support e-mobility by developing an E-mobility Network Infrastructure System (ENIS). They are piloting electric vehicle charging stations for internal needs and demonstration purposes and have allocated funds to purchase electric cars and build charging points in Nairobi. The company aims to replace its fleet of 2,000 fossil fuel-powered vehicles with electric ones within the next four years. This transition involves retrofitting electric engines onto current vehicles and acquiring new electric cars.

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