Feature: Chinese electric vehicles transforming livelihoods of Kenyan taxi drivers

NAIROBI, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Paul Mwai was seated inside his parked car while browsing through his mobile phone to confirm his next customer on his digital app.

The 33-year-old taxi driver had just received an order to transport a client to a mall in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, which was about 12 kilometers away from his current location.

It was a few minutes to mid-day and Mwai had already ferried more than 10 passengers since morning to their various destinations in the fast-growing capital and its satellite towns.

"My electric vehicle is very popular among customers who are conscious about the environment," Mwai said during a recent interview.

Mwai recently purchased a brand new Neta V, a Chinese electric vehicle brand that has been introduced into the Kenyan market.

He was able to afford the 4 million shillings (about 31,000 U.S. dollars) price tag thanks to a partnership between Moja EV Kenya, the local distributor of the Neta V brand and a local bank which provides loans for purchase of the vehicles.

Mwai said that his decision to switch to an electric vehicle after operating a petrol powered vehicle in the taxi business for the past seven years has yielded many benefits.

His daily revenues fluctuate between 6,000 and 7,000 shillings (46.5-54.2 U.S. dollars) against expenditures compromising 31 dollars for the repayment of the car loan and electric charging cost of 6.2 dollars.

This compares favorably against the profit he generated daily when he operated a fossil fuel taxi car because earnings averaged 34.8 dollars per day while expenses consisted of 9.3 dollars for repayment of car loan of the conventional car and 19.38 dollars for fuel.

Mwai noted that a key reason for his increased earnings is due to the fact that e-vehicles have lower maintenance cost as they lack an engine and gearbox while the cost of charging is lower than the cost of fuel for running the vehicle.

According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), Kenya had 3,753, EVs as of December 2023 constituting 1.62 percent of the vehicles registered in the country.

Wang Aiping, the CEO of Moja EV Kenya said that most taxi drivers in the country use imported second-hand fossil fuel vehicles, leading to high maintenance, fuel, and operational costs that consume a significant portion of their daily earnings.

Wang noted that in contrast, choosing a brand-new Neta V electric vehicle offers a smooth, safe, and comfortable experience with a driving range of 380 kilometers on a full charge.

He added that the Neta V brand is ideal for the taxi business because it comes with a complimentary AC charging station that can be installed at home as well as a portable onboard charger that can be connected to any electric socket.

Wang said that so far Moja EV Kenya has entered into partnerships with seven taxi associations to sell them e-vehicles that will boost the earnings of their businesses.

Maurice Njagi, the industrial development officer at the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry said that Kenya is keen to support the taxi industry to switch to e-vehicles because the move will help reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector.

Stephen Musembe, a taxi driver also made the transition to an e-vehicle after operating a cab for the past three years, despite the vehicles being new in the market.

The 34-year- old made the bold decision to use green mobility and in the process gained more customers as some passengers prefer to ride in a car with less noise while on the road.

Alok Srivastava, the general manager of taxi hailing app, Yego, said that drivers on his digital platform who use electric vehicles for their transport business earn more income as compared to their peers who rely on fossil fuel cars.

"We consider green vehicles as offering a premium service and this translates into more revenue for our drivers," Srivastava said.