FREETOWN: In his small Freetown workshop, engineering student James Samba tinkered with batteries and electrical components he hoped might assist clear up Sierra Leone’s polluting public transport system.
Rush hour within the West African nation’s main cities is a frenetic medley of minibuses, mopeds, shared taxis and three-wheeled automobiles generally known as “kekehs” — every splattering toxic emissions into the ambiance.
Samba mentioned that his uncle died from a respiratory sickness after years of inhaling roadside exhaust fumes, spurring the 23-12 months-previous to develop his personal mannequin for an electrical kekeh.
Assembled from recycled scrap steel and powered by batteries, the pink 4-wheeled automobile now roams the streets of the capital.
Although the undertaking remains to be in its infancy, Samba goals to supply an eco-pleasant various to conventional gasoline-run fashions.
“I wanted to save others from dying of lung and respiratory disease due to air pollution… by manufacturing a prototype electric vehicle,” Samba mentioned.
Worldwide, an estimated 4.2 million untimely deaths per 12 months are attributed to out of doors air pollution, the World Health Organization (WHO) says, with low- and center-earnings international locations overwhelmingly impacted.
Vehicle emissions are additionally a number one contributor to local weather change.
Like in a lot of West Africa, prolonged visitors jams in Sierra Leone’s main cities and poorly maintained automobiles with inefficient exhausts exacerbate the emissions downside.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says that in 2021, tremendous particle air pollution killed 1,200 folks in Sierra Leone, a rustic of 8.5 million folks.
‘Good for enterprise, setting’
Samba first ventured into engineering when he constructed an electrical wheelchair for his uncle, who had lengthy struggled to entry public transport.
He has since arrange his personal firm, Sierra Electric, with the goal of ultimately manufacturing a fleet of photo voltaic-powered kekehs and incapacity-pleasant electrical automobiles.
Lacking the instant means to cowl manufacturing prices, Samba has partnered with begin-ups NEEV Salon to develop a kekeh powered by a rooftop photo voltaic panel.
The Freetown-based agency already has a fleet of greater than 100 photo voltaic tricycles, three charging stations and battery-swapping cupboards for purchasers, in accordance with co-founder and operations officer Emmanuella Sandy.
“Our e-kekeh products are thriving. We swap batteries to reduce waiting time for commercial riders and we have trained 60 university students from the mechanical engineering department on electric vehicle assembly and maintenance,” she mentioned.
The improvement of electrical automobiles faces quite a few hurdles in Sierra Leone, the place the nationwide grid suffers from persistent underperformance and frequent outages, and a six-month wet season hampers the functioning of photo voltaic panels.
Just over 20 per cent of households have entry to electrical energy through the nationwide grid or mini-grids, in accordance with a 2024 World Bank report.
NEEV Salone alternates between solar energy, off-grid turbines, and the nationwide grid to take care of the provision of their charging factors.
Samba says photo voltaic kekehs are cheaper to run than gasoline-powered alternate options, as drivers face decrease upkeep prices and no gasoline invoice.
The smallest of NEEV Salone’s photo voltaic kekehs sells for 120,000 new leones (round $5,270), a excessive value for these dwelling in one of many world’s poorest international locations.
Despite the associated fee, some drivers have already transformed to renewables within the face of rising gasoline costs.
“The solar tricycle is comfortable and a profitable business. I no longer worry about fuel scarcity in the country,” mentioned 25-12 months-previous driver Thomas Kanu.
“The solar cake is good for business and our environment.”
