Opibus announces the first electric bus designed and manufactured in Africa

Opibus continues on its merry way by now working for public transport.

The Swedish-Kenyan firm is betting in particular on an all-electric bus to green transport in Africa.

Mass-produced buses by the end of 2023?

In just five years of existence, Opibus has advanced at high speed in the field of public transport electric mobility. It now claims to be the first firm to produce an electric bus in Kenya. The objective is to put on tires an affordable vehicle, particularly in terms of maintenance, which can be produced in series within two years.

Opibus is betting on a bus entirely designed and manufactured in Kenya, with maintenance costs reduced by 80% compared to a similar diesel-powered thermal bus according to the firm; it also plans to reduce operating costs by 50%. The price would also be reduced by the absence of the need to import this bus from another country, or even from a third continent. The first copy should be operational this year and there are already plans to deploy ten buses in mid-2022 in Kenya to test commercial use, according to Dennis Wakaba, Opibus’ public transport project coordinator.

To distinguish itself from other manufacturers, the firm is also betting on the platform on which the structure of its bus will be based, which it plans to be modular in order to adapt it to various uses. Still, the unit price of these buses has not yet been revealed.

Sources: Press release from Opibus
, Electrek