The Kenya Bureau of Standards has issued a notice to electric car importers banning the importation of vehicles whose battery life is less than 80 per cent.
Managing director Esther Ngari said this is pursuant to provisions of Legal Notice No. 78 of April 28, 2020, on Verification of Conformity to Kenya Standards of Imports Order.
“We used to notify all importers of used/secondhand electric motor vehicles that all used/secondhand electric motor vehicles must have battery life not less than 80 per cent to be allowed for importation into the country,” she said.
“Further, used motor vehicles imported from Japan, UAE, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK are subject to mandatory pre-inspection by Quality Inspection Services Inc. (QISJ) which is the KEBS-appointed inspection agent for motor vehicles.”
Second-hand cars dominate the local market with 85 per cent share of Kenya's car imports, with an annual import of up to 90,000 units.
About 80 per cent of imports are from Japan with the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and South Africa accounting for the remaining market space.
KEBS has been keen on streamlining car imports to guard against Kenya becoming a dumping ground for electronic waste.
This is in keeping with its mandate for quality inspection of imports based on Kenyan standards and approved specifications.
In December 2023, KEBS banned the importation of vehicles whose year of first registration is before January 1, 2017.
In a notice appearing on a weekly dated December 5, the quality assurance agency said this was “in observance with clause 2.5 of KS 1515:2000 on the eight-year age limit requirement” on Kenya Standard Code of Practice for Inspection of Road Vehicles.
It said the order was also in keeping with Legal Notice No.78 of April 28, 2020, on the Verification of Conformity to Kenya Standards of Imports Order.
On average, electric car batteries last around 10 years, with some lasting up to 20 years before they need to be replaced.
Some car manufacturers use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries while others use lead-acid or nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries.
The batteries usually wear out over time with every cycle of recharge and discharge thus decreasing the range and time needed between each journey to charge.
A used battery with less lifespan left will therefore end up as e-waste with the owner needing a replacement to stay on the road.