Econet group— a privately held diversified telecommunications company has revealed plans to roll out electric cars through its ride-hailing startup ‘Vaya’ in Zimbabwe. The platform is looking to leverage this launch to meet the demand for affordable transportation in the country.
According to Oswald Jumira, Vaya Team Lead Nairobi, the vehicles will launch in Zimbabwe and 2 other countries first before expanding to 10 others in 2020. He further revealed that DPA their subsidiary is developing electric vehicle charging centres that will span across Zimbabwe.
Strive Masiyiwa the founder and executive chairman of Econet Group aims to integrate electric cars in the African transportation sector. He plans to achieve this by creating awareness on what electric vehicles is and then launching it via its ride-hailing startup, Vaya. The vehicles can be accessed through Vaya or Premium hire or Carpool.
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In Oswald’s word; “Mr. Masiyiwa does not engage in debates. If you hear him talking about something, we are moving forward to do something. I can confirm that we are awaiting delivery of electric vehicles in Zimbabwe, and two other countries. Our sister company DPA is building a national network of electric vehicle charging centres that will span the length and breadth of Zimbabwe. They are already working on it, and there is actual equipment in Zimbabwe.”
Charging stations will be set up across the country and will be able to recharge in 30 minutes. Once recharged the vehicle can cover up to 300KM of range.
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