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Students Build Uganda's First
Electric Car
Electric vehicle manufacturing isn’t limited to big countries with huge auto
industries. At Makerere University in Uganda, a group of engineering
students and their professors showed they can do it too (and with fewer
resources).
It’s called the Kiira EV, and it isn’t fast or flashy, although it has the
impressive ability to climb a 55-degree slope. But it was built with most of
its parts made in Uganda. The principal investigator of the project,
electrical engineering professor Sandy Tickodri-Togboa, told local news
outlets that the car can charge in about four hours on a typical 13-amp
house current. It can reach 200 kilometers per hour (about 124 mph) and
run for 80 kilometers (about 50 miles). It seats two people. Tickodri
Togboa said the car will likely sell at about $10,000 to $15,000 -- steep for
Ugandans, but about a quarter to a third the price of an electric car in the
United States.
The team has plans for more than a Ugandan version of a Smart Car;
they're working on an electric bus. Since buses are what most people use
in Uganda, producing them would make a big dent in the country’s oil
usage.
The car needs some work, however. It looks a bit jerky when it
accelerates, and it could use a few accessories (such as a horn) before it
can function as road-ready. But this car was built by a group of 25 college
students and professors in a research lab. That’s pretty impressive -- and
should give automakers in their country pause.
Students Build Uganda's First Electric Car : Discovery News
Good news for Uganda.
How long will it be until we can see Pashtuns designing & manufacturing their own modern cars I wonder.
Electric Car
Electric vehicle manufacturing isn’t limited to big countries with huge auto
industries. At Makerere University in Uganda, a group of engineering
students and their professors showed they can do it too (and with fewer
resources).
It’s called the Kiira EV, and it isn’t fast or flashy, although it has the
impressive ability to climb a 55-degree slope. But it was built with most of
its parts made in Uganda. The principal investigator of the project,
electrical engineering professor Sandy Tickodri-Togboa, told local news
outlets that the car can charge in about four hours on a typical 13-amp
house current. It can reach 200 kilometers per hour (about 124 mph) and
run for 80 kilometers (about 50 miles). It seats two people. Tickodri
Togboa said the car will likely sell at about $10,000 to $15,000 -- steep for
Ugandans, but about a quarter to a third the price of an electric car in the
United States.
The team has plans for more than a Ugandan version of a Smart Car;
they're working on an electric bus. Since buses are what most people use
in Uganda, producing them would make a big dent in the country’s oil
usage.
The car needs some work, however. It looks a bit jerky when it
accelerates, and it could use a few accessories (such as a horn) before it
can function as road-ready. But this car was built by a group of 25 college
students and professors in a research lab. That’s pretty impressive -- and
should give automakers in their country pause.
Students Build Uganda's First Electric Car : Discovery News
Good news for Uganda.
How long will it be until we can see Pashtuns designing & manufacturing their own modern cars I wonder.