Simba Corporation has delivered the first all-electric Mahindra XUV400 SUVs to Kenya Power, marking a step towards sustainable mobility in Kenya.
The two electric vehicles are part of six acquired by the utility firm this year, with plans to expand the fleet to nine electric vehicles and 25 electric motorcycles by December 2024.
In April 2024, Kenya Power had revealed a plan to electrify its fleet, announcing a Sh258 million investment towards e-mobility.
Kenya Power's head of transport, David Mugambi, said that the firm aims to be carbon neutral and has been transitioning to electric material handling equipment for nearly eight years.
"At over 92 per cent green generation, Kenya Power has one of the cleanest energy distributions on the planet. In light of environmental concerns and our need to be carbon neutral, reducing emissions within the transport space is crucial.”
“This therefore marks an important milestone in our EV journey, which started close to eight years ago with the transition to electric material handling equipment at our yards and warehouses," said Mugambi.
Kenya is rapidly emerging as a leader in EV adoption in Africa, with about 2,100 electric vehicles currently on the road, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers.
Kenya has sufficient energy to support significant EV growth, with an installed capacity of 3,246 MW, well above the peak demand of 2,300 MW and an off-peak load of 1,100 MW as of December 2023.
This transition is expected to reduce energy costs and improve the quality of life in Kenya by utilizing local energy sources.
Simba Corporation's Motors Division, group managing director Naresh Leekha, expressed the firm’s commitment to Kenya’s EV Journey with the introduction of Mahindra electric vehicles in Kenya with a positive outlook into the future.
“The whole world today is talking about bringing in environment-friendly vehicles and today we have delivered the first two Mahindra XUV400 SUVs to Kenya Power, one of the first customers to embrace the Mahindra Electric SUVs in Kenya," said Leekha.