The number of electric vehicles and motorcycles registered in Kenya increased by more than five times last year as more corporations and individuals migrated to clean mobility.
Data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra), shows that the National Transport and Safety Authority registered a record 2,694 electric vehicles(EVs) in 2023, marking a significant increase from the 475 units the previous year.
It is also more than the cumulative number of EVs that had been previously registered in Kenya. The total number of EVs registered in the country by the end of 2023 stood at 3,753.
The energy regulator has attributed the increase in the registration of EVs to several incentives that have been introduced by the Kenyan government to promote e-mobility.
“The increase may be attributed to government initiatives such as the introduction of the e-mobility tariff, reduction of excise duty on EVs from 20 per cent to 10 percent, and exemption of fully electric cars from Value Added Tax,” said Epra.
Besides individual buyers, corporates such as Kenya Power and KenGen are seeking to transition their fleets from fossil fuels as part of green goals.
This comes at a time when the government is seeking to further accelerate e-mobility to enable the country to utilise excess capacity during off-peak periods such as at night when cheap renewable energy goes wasted.
“The adoption of e-mobility is anticipated to elevate the country’s energy demand, particularly during off-peak periods historically characterised by low demand,” says Epra.
But the high upfront cost of buying EVs and the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure across the country has slowed down the uptake of EVs despite the apparent benefits of the vehicles, such as cheaper operational costs.
