“It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication, but
we are up for the challenge” the 36-year technology engineer says, with a broad
smile “We are along the equator and we want to use the abundant sunshine
throughout the year to our advantage”
A research trip to Massachusetts university eight
years ago convinced Mr.Musasizi a former Makerere University engineering
lecturer that he could build cars at home in Uganda. Now his company, Kiira
Motor Corporation KMC, is building a car plant he says will be up and running
to push out electric cars off its assembly line by 2018.
After successful designing of a hybrid electric sedan
last year, the Kiira EV smack,Kiira motors corp recently launched a solar poweredbus,
the beginning of Musasizis’ bigger ambition to kick start Uganda's solar-powered automobile
industry.
The 35 seater bus also locally known as “Kayoola”
can travel up to 50 Kilometers straight powered by two
batteries. The primary battery supplies electrical energy to the propulsion
motor while the secondary battery bank is available for charging using the
onboard solar charging system or the plug-in charger system.
The solar panels are mounted on the roof, taking full advantage
of Uganda’s sun.
Musasizi says each battery takes an hour to charge.
The bus is suitable for urban areas use because of the restrictions
on how far it can travel. The savings expected per 100km using the
Kayoola Solar Bus, compared to the conventional diesel powered buses is
expected to be 63%, providing a lower cost mass transportation solution as well
as assuring profitability when in service.
Most of the materials used to produce the bus were
locally sourced, except for the synthetic leather, tyres, the steering wheel
and software that were imported. The chassis is made of steel, its aisle of
sheet metal and it also has pipe elements and square sections. Its seats are
also made of steel and covered in cream leather.
Musasizi said the project which started in 2011, was
initiated to explore the possibilities of using solar technology to
support mass transportation that Ugandans commonly use. “We wanted to
investigate those opportunities, particularly because Uganda being
one of the 13 countries positioned along the Equator, gives us about eight
hours of significant solar energy that can be harvested”.
It is against this background that the Kayoola solar bus project
was executed. If mass produced, each bus would cost up to $58,000,
which Mr Musasizi says is a very competitive price.
Kiira Motors grew out of a project at Uganda's Makerere
University, which is now a shareholder in the company.The project has
benefitted from government funding through the presidential initiative
for science and technology innovations .This is part of President Yoweri
Museveni’s industrial development intervention plan to transform Uganda into
a middle-income economy by 2040 through providing a platform with high
intellectual convergence of disciplines aimed at establishing vehicle
manufacturing capabilities in Uganda .Kiira motors was named after
the Kira Nile river dam that supplies electricity to the company factory and
many consumers in the country.
The ultimate goal is to establish Kiira Motors Corporation
as the first Automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer in East and Central
Africa and lure local customers away from pricier imports by producing
50 buses a year, eventually supplying pick-up trucks, sedans, light
and medium duty trucks.
“We are here to celebrate the Ugandan innovator
with a mission to industrialize our nation” said President Yoweri Museveni
during the launch earlier last month/16th Feb/. “Uganda is
now ready to industrialize. The energy is ready; the infrastructure is ready;
the economy is ready; and most important of all, our people are ready. This
model bus is a symbol of our capabilities; this is the best way to
use our clean energy sources”
He further stated that the project will create over 12,000
Jobs in the capital expenditure phase and over 2,000 in the operational
expenditure phase.
Musasizi says the first 305 cars from KMC are expected to be
rolled off its plant, located in Njeru, around 70 kilometers out of
Kampala by 2018. The plant’s capacity can rise to 50,000 units by
2039. Musasizi looks forward to attracting investors interested in green
energy for funding and future staff training.
The company hopes to challenge global players with a
strong presence on the continent including Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota
Motor Corp.
Although the kayoola bus production and
development by local engineers and suppliers is a significant milestone
for Uganda's budding heavy manufacturing industry, the project still faces
a number of major risks to its commercial success.
The limited availability and reliability of electricity due
to the country’s poor energy supply in addition to limited availability of
skilled labour will keep manufacturing costs substantially high for Kiira
Motors Corp. Also, the production volumes will be unlikely to compete with
other producers especially established Kenyan firms. Kenya remains the region’s
largest automaker.
The Ugandan new vehicle market also remains
far too small to absorb the company's planned output, about 4,000 new cars are
sold a year .The country also imports about 15,000 used vehicles annually. This
raises the costs for the producer to engage in costly marketing and export
operations elsewhere in the region.
dianakarakire@gmail.com
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