Meta Electric, a business unit of Meta Group Africa has launched Kenya’s first electric commercial delivery vans. The Evs are the BYD T3 are manufactured by Build Your Dreams (BYD), one of the largest Chinese supplier of rechargeable batteries in the world.

These Electric vans come with an AC charger that charges up the van in 8 hours and an optional DC charger that does the same work in only 1.5 hours. When it comes to range, Meta Electric says that the vans can do 300km on a full charge or 250km when carrying a full load.

Unfortunately, there’s no mention of how much load the vans can carry but judging on the size, it shouldn’t be something too heavy. Meta Electric didn’t speak of the cost of purchase either.

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“Owning and driving the T3 Electric van is indeed a bold statement for any company especially in Kenya. EV’s help save on major costs compared to any internal combustion engine vehicle. They greatly reduce operating expenses as they beat the diesel competition hands down costing less than half for fuel, Service, maintenance and repairs at very reasonable mileage.  In addition EV’s are zero-emission thus promoting cleaner air and aiding in the fight against pollution and climate change,” said Brian Chege, Meta Electric general manager .

At the moment, bus operator, Neo Kenya Mpya, will use the EV’S in trials. “We are optimistic that Meta Electric T3 Vans will play a part in reducing the huge proportion of greenhouse gasses that comes from passenger transport. We must all work together with Government to improve planning of city roads, terminus and parking spaces so that EVs can seamlessly substitute diesel-powered vehicles. Our goal is that at least ten percent of our fleet is powered sustainably by 2025, said Douglas Kuria, CEO of Neo Kenya Mpya Limited.

Meta Group Africa wants to become a leading supplier of these electric commercial vehicles and plans to both sell and lease units to the East African market and to customers who want to make the switch to cleaner transportation. As the costs of production reduce over time, the case to switch over to electric mobility becomes more and more compelling thus driving the total cost of ownership for electric vehicles considerably lower than those of internal combustion engines.