The Director-General (DG), Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu, has said the agency would be launching a low-cost electric vehicle that is in tune with the culture, climate, terrain and the economic structure by year end.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sustainable Economy, Aliyu said after the launch, the agency would engage the private sector to mass produce the vehicles for Nigeria and Africa.
In June, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, had driven a locally-assembled electric car, called Kona, from Hyundai to promote made in Nigeria products.
After test-driving the vehicle, he said: “It was a very good drive, fantastic. It just shows what is possible. I am glad to see that this is an assembled-in-Nigeria electric car. You can literally charge it anywhere. I think it is a very fantastic innovation; fantastic product and I can tell because I just drove it.”
Meanwhile, Aliyu said the low cost vehicle was still in its design stage, and would be developed to be the most applicable for Nigeria and Africa.
He further said the NADDC was working towards a National Electric Vehicle Programme, which comprises several elements like the Electric Vehicle Policy.
“The first is the Electric Vehicle Policy, which we have started to develop and this would be followed by initiatives and programmes to support the production and usage of electric vehicles in Nigeria.
“We are also doing direct research and design of an electric vehicle that we are developing. We are basically doing the engineering and the product design development of the vehicle.
“We can’t exactly show the public what it is until we are done with it, which should be very soon. It’s going to be a low-cost electric vehicle that is in tune with the culture, climate, terrain and the economic structure of Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
Speaking on the infrastructure already put in place to support the innovation, the NADDC boss said the agency had also developed solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations.
“We have commissioned the first one at the Usman Dan Fodio University in Sokoto and a second one at the University of Lagos, and we have the third one coming at the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
“These are 100 per cent solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles and why we have situated them in universities is so that we can collaborate with academia, support the technology and then get these young Nigerians directly exposed to this technology, and hopefully, have them come up with even better solutions and applications for Nigeria and Africa,” Aliyu added.
Meanwhile, he said the agency was also looking at other applications of solar-powered equipment for agriculture and other utilitarian applications.
At the unveiling of the pilot solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments, Niyi Adebayo, said the programme was designed to promote advanced technology transfer and development of sophisticated human capital.
The Minister said the charging station developed by the NADDC in collaboration with the university authorities, would promote applicable local solutions for vehicle electrification in Nigeria, and will offer students first-hand experience with the latest innovations in mobility and renewable power technology.
The Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the university would continue to invest in research, adding that it comes when the world is experiencing energy transition and shifting to renewables.
Chief Executive Officer, Stallion Group, Anant Badjitya, said Stallion and Hyundai were passionate about driving innovation in Nigeria.
