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The government said it is working with the private sector to build a network of at least 3,500 public EV charging stations by 2040 Uganda has launched one of its first public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as part of a pilot programme in Kampala and plans on setting up at least nine more in the capital city. This week, the country’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, unveiled the EV charging station at Amber House, which serves as the offices of the country’s Electricity Board as well as other large enterprises. Ssentamu emphasised the need for accessible and affordable EV charging infrastructure to promote electric mobility. The government plans to pilot at least 10 EV charging stations within Kampala Metropolitan, she said. Ssentamu also acknowledged the role of private sector players in the sector – Zembo Electric, Gogo and Kiira Motors. The newly unveiled station has a power output ranging from 30kW to 360kW, allowing vehicles to recharge between 15 minutes to 1.5 hours. EV landscape in Uganda A baseline report on gender and e-mobility published last August – authored by the Africa E-mobility Alliance (Afema) – noted that the e-mobility sector in Uganda remains nascent, with just more than 3,000 EVs on the road in a country with around 1.8 million registered vehicles as of August 2024. The country’s e-mobility ecosystem includes 11 e-mobility startups operating across the two-wheeler, car and bus sectors. The report said there are 3,077 EVs of which at least 3,000 are e-motorcycles as of March 2024. “While publicly known total investments in e-mobility companies operating in Uganda are over $165 million, over 95% of this has gone to two companies – Spiro and Kiira Motors – while other companies have not released information on their raises. “E-mobility in Uganda is powered primarily by grid electricity, which is primarily from renewable sources and costs approximately 700 UGX ($0.19) per kWh, compared to petrol which is approximately 5,500 UGX ($1.50) per litre.” |
