Oando Clean Energy Limited has concluded its plan to roll out electric-powered Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicles in Lagos by 2023.
The executive vice president, Oando Clean Energy, Mr. Ademola Ogunbanjo, disclosed this at a virtual conference on ‘Climate change and its implications on the Nigerian energy sector’ hosted by EY Nigeria
He said the company, which is a subsidiary of the Oando Group, was in partnership with the Lagos State government on the project adding that the proof of the deployment of the buses in the state would begin in January 2023.
He said green energy is the in-thing hence the company’s resolve to embark on the project in Lagos.
Recall that Oando had on April 28, 2022 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) for the introduction of electric mass transit buses in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre.
“We, in Oando Clean Energy Limited, we are deploying that in partnership with the Lagos State Government. By this time next year, if you are in Lagos, you will be able to jump on a BRT bus that’s 100 per cent electric.
“We will run the proof of concept by January 2023 and then we roll out fully before the year is over, and hopefully, over time, as the cost of electric buses goes down, we particularly want to begin to assemble or manufacture locally in Nigeria.
“And good enough, if you look at the net-zero plan of the federal government, we are looking to start doing that by 2025. What this means is that our transport fares will go down because we are taking alternative route,” he said.
Comparing the combustion engine buses to electric, Ogunbanjo said: “For example, for a diesel engine bus of 10.5 metres to go 1kilometre, you need 1.56 litres of diesel. At today’s price, that’s about N1200. For an electric bus of the same size, it will take you 1.36 kilowatt/hour. At today’s rate, that’s less than N500.
“And this is in the hope that over time, as we deploy electric vehicles, the costs will go (further than).”
Noting that storage is a big component of providing renewable energy, particularly from variables like wind and solar, Ogunbanjo contended that as technology is deployed and it improves and there is proliferation of the solutions, prices would drop and it will become more affordable for the general populace to engage.
“So there is need for us to very quickly work together with the government to invest in the sector so that we can cushion some of the effects of the elements you mentioned,” he added.
Ogunbanjo stated that the opportunities in clean energy are huge and clear.
He said even if fossil fuel was still being used to power energy consumption globally, there is room to accommodate renewable energy sources.
