Volkswagen and Siemens have partnered to launch an electric car mobility project in Rwanda. This project is part of the ‘Moving Rwanda Initiative’.
The partnership will see Volkswagen provide four e-Golfs and one charging station for the initial phase of the pilot project, while Siemens provides the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. This partnership makes Rwanda the first African country to introduce a Volkswagen electric car.
The pilot project was announced by Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa (he is also responsible for the Sub-Saharan Africa Region), before the Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda – Right Honourable Dr Edouard Ngirente.
All pilot e-Golfs will be added into the Rwandan Fleet of Volkswagen Mobility Solutions, in a bid to deliver customized mobility service. The car manufacturing company plans to upsurge the number of e-vehicles to about 50 units and 15 charging stations. However, this will be dependent on the upshots of the pilot project.
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According to Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa, the success of their innovative and pioneering mobility solutions business has proven that Rwanda has the potential to scale the internal combustion engines into electric cars.
In his words; “Rwanda has a young and progressive population that appreciates individual and modern mobility. Together with our development partner Siemens and with the support from the Government of Rwanda, Volkswagen wants to make the e-Golf pilot project in Rwanda a blueprint for electric mobility in Africa.”
Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO for Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, noted that the partnership solidifies their commitment to Rwanda and the East African region. He said, “By contributing towards shaping the African market for intelligent, adaptive infrastructure, while addressing skills challenges in this sector, Siemens is helping to build a more sustainable future for the people of Rwanda.”
The drivers and technicians selected to work with the electric cars have all received specialized training in preparation for the pilot project launch.
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