The government is developing a framework for using electric vehicles for public transportation in Ghana, according to Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Dr. Bawumia claims that since fuel and replacement parts make up the majority of the cost of transportation and electric cars also emit fewer greenhouse gases, they will significantly lower transportation costs.
Dr. Bawumia posted the news on Facebook after touring SolarTaxi, a fully-owned Ghanaian manufacturer of electric vehicles, in Accra on Wednesday (27 September). He was pleased with the company’s electric buses because they could travel more than 200 kilometers without needing to recharge their batteries.
“I paid a visit to a start-up, SolarTaxi, a wholly owned Ghanaian assembler of electric vehicles and the third largest electric vehicle assembler in Africa. They manufacture motorcycles, cars, and buses. It was a pleasure to take a ride in one of their buses which can travel from Accra to Kumasi without the need for a recharge of the batteries. They are also able to convert existing internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles.
“I made the point that electric vehicles are the future and the Government is working on a policy framework of using electric vehicles for public transport in Ghana. This will drastically reduce the cost of transportation as the major components of the cost is fuel and spare parts. It will also reduce carbon emissions.
“Solar Taxi, through its bankers are also providing financing for its motorcycles, cars and buses without collateral. All they require is your GhanaCard ID and they will give you a vehicle which you can pay for over time. The average age of people working for Solar Taxi is 26 and 90% of their engineers are female.
“I asked Metro Mass, STC and Ayalolo to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire more buses. Congratulations to SolarTaxi. Proud of you. The sky is the limit. It is possible!”
