Grad student aims to use education in Ugandan electric car project

Grad student aims to use education in Ugandan electric car project
The Lantern reports on an exciting government backed initiative in Uganda to manufacture home grown electric vehicles.

Established in 2014, KMC is taking part in a presidential economic initiative in Uganda, Vision 2040, which aims to transform the country to a middle-income country by that year. KMC is set to start production in 2018, attempting to produce about 60,000 cars and create more than 2,000 jobs in Uganda each year...... .......KMC is designed the first manufacturer for electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and solar-powered busses not only in Uganda, but also Africa as a whole. KMC’s product line will include pickup trucks, SUVs, sedans and buses. 

I can just see electric vehicles taking off and revolutionizing transport in Africa once they become available. With the abundance of sunshine, it will be possible to set up solar powered charging points in virtually any location, in places far from the nearest petrol station. It will make transport more available and cheaper to people living in remote places. Not only will it improve the standard of living for many people it will also help the economies of African countries as the reliance on imported oil will drastically decrease.

It's really good that the Ugandan government are getting behind this. I'd like to see South Africa do something similar. I wonder if the government doesn't want to upset the existing vehicle manufacturers in the country.  When more people in SA become aware of the benefits of electric vehicles, specifically low fuel and maintenance costs, the demand will come.When people discover they can just plug their car into the electricity at home or the office and charge it, instead of having to pay hundreds of Rands everytime they fill their petrol tank, they will want one.