Rwanda E Trucks Africa USAGM
Metadata
- Rwanda E Trucks Africa USAGM
- February 8, 2023
- E-Trucks Expanding in Rural Rwanda With Expansion Plans in East Africa
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: RWANDA E-TRUCKS AFRICA (TV/R) HEADLINE: E-Trucks Expanding in Rural Rwanda With Expansion Plans in East Africa TEASER: The electric trucks tested two years ago have quickly expanded as the fleet reduced costs and with a lower impact on the environment PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 02/08/2023 at 11:15am BYLINE: Senanu Tord DATELINE: KIGALI, RWANDA VIDEOGRAPHER: Senanu Tord PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: Schearf, Salem Solomon VIDEO SOURCE(S): VOA Original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: 3:05 VID APPROVED BY: VOA TYPE: TVPKG/RADIO EDITOR NOTES: Radio intros included in the script for production to reversion for radio. For questions and final review, send an email back to Senanu Tord: senathefilmmaker@gmail.com )) ((INTRO)) [[Electric trucks tested two years ago in rural Rwanda have quickly expanded as the fleet reduced costs and with a lower impact on the environment. The British company, Ox Delivers, plans to introduce newer models this year and hopes to expand further into East Africa. Senanu Tord looks at the challenges they face in this report from Kigali, Rwanda.]] ((NARRATOR)) The OX-1 is the second model of electric trucks tested in rural Rwanda as cleaner and cheaper transport for getting food from farms to markets. The local company running the British trucks, OX Ntuma, says they’re up to 120 deliveries per week and reduce transport costs by about 15% compared to fossil-fuel ones. Farmers like Dani Kwizera say that gives them leverage in negotiating deliveries. ((Dani Kwizera, Pride Farms Farmer)) ((English 9 secs)) “The competition has increased, and the people were not having the power of negotiation raised by them only but also on our side.” ((NARRATOR)) The World Bank says only half the people in Sub-Saharan Africa have electricity while in the countryside 70% are without power. So, electric vehicles in rural Africa must be able to go long distances on a single charge. OX Ntuma chief mechanic Innocent Mbonigaba says new models arriving in Rwanda later this year will have better features for Africa’s poor power grids and roads. ((Innocent Mbonigaba, OX Ntuma Chief Mechanic)) (English, 29 secs)) “For example, battery range, this one can move more than 100 kilometers. So, for the next ones, they will be double, like 300 Km without charging. And also, we see how the suspension, chassis and other mechanical parts are operating even on our bad road[s].” ((NARRATOR)) A spokesperson at Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture told VOA by phone that electric trucking of produce builds on their goal of farming becoming fully organic. Rwanda offers tax incentives that have attracted electric vehicle firms. Electric motorbike company Ampersand says taxi drivers increase their income by up to half with savings on fuel and repairs. [[Radio track: Brady Grimes is the company’s operations manager.]] ((Brady Grimes, Ampersand Operations Manager)) (English)) “Rwanda has really set up the model for what building the EV industry could look like in the region and I think a lot of other countries have seen the results here, have seen the progress that we have made and others and want to sort of replicate that in their own countries. So, while Rwanda is definitely the farthest so long with the incentives and policies around e-mobility, we do see other countries in the region coming up quickly.” ((NARRATOR)) OX Ntuma Operations Manager Ferdinand Munezero says their electric trucking is not quite ready to expand in Africa. ((Ferdinand Munezero, OX Ntuma Operations Manager)) ((English 24 secs)) “We are very excited to expand but we can’t expand till we maximize the market that is available in Rwanda. We still have people that are spending a night on the road. We have a few vehicles, and we are planning to maximize [them] by bringing in more vehicles. Till we maximize that market, then we can go into other countries.” ((NARRATOR)) Ox Ntuma says they also plan to install refrigeration in their trucks to better transport fresh produce over long distances. ((Senanu Tord, for VOA news, Kigali, Rwanda.))
- Transcript/Script USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: RWANDA E-TRUCKS AFRICA (TV/R) HEADLINE: E-Trucks Expanding in Rural Rwanda With Expansion Plans in East Africa TEASER: The electric trucks tested two years ago have quickly expanded as the fleet reduced costs and with a lower impact on the environment PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 02/08/2023 at 11:15am BYLINE: Senanu Tord DATELINE: KIGALI, RWANDA VIDEOGRAPHER: Senanu Tord PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: Schearf, Salem Solomon VIDEO SOURCE(S): VOA Original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: 3:05 VID APPROVED BY: VOA TYPE: TVPKG/RADIO EDITOR NOTES: Radio intros included in the script for production to reversion for radio. For questions and final review, send an email back to Senanu Tord: senathefilmmaker@gmail.com )) ((INTRO)) [[Electric trucks tested two years ago in rural Rwanda have quickly expanded as the fleet reduced costs and with a lower impact on the environment. The British company, Ox Delivers, plans to introduce newer models this year and hopes to expand further into East Africa. Senanu Tord looks at the challenges they face in this report from Kigali, Rwanda.]] ((NARRATOR)) The OX-1 is the second model of electric trucks tested in rural Rwanda as cleaner and cheaper transport for getting food from farms to markets. The local company running the British trucks, OX Ntuma, says they’re up to 120 deliveries per week and reduce transport costs by about 15% compared to fossil-fuel ones. Farmers like Dani Kwizera say that gives them leverage in negotiating deliveries. ((Dani Kwizera, Pride Farms Farmer)) ((English 9 secs)) “The competition has increased, and the people were not having the power of negotiation raised by them only but also on our side.” ((NARRATOR)) The World Bank says only half the people in Sub-Saharan Africa have electricity while in the countryside 70% are without power. So, electric vehicles in rural Africa must be able to go long distances on a single charge. OX Ntuma chief mechanic Innocent Mbonigaba says new models arriving in Rwanda later this year will have better features for Africa’s poor power grids and roads. ((Innocent Mbonigaba, OX Ntuma Chief Mechanic)) (English, 29 secs)) “For example, battery range, this one can move more than 100 kilometers. So, for the next ones, they will be double, like 300 Km without charging. And also, we see how the suspension, chassis and other mechanical parts are operating even on our bad road[s].” ((NARRATOR)) A spokesperson at Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture told VOA by phone that electric trucking of produce builds on their goal of farming becoming fully organic. Rwanda offers tax incentives that have attracted electric vehicle firms. Electric motorbike company Ampersand says taxi drivers increase their income by up to half with savings on fuel and repairs. [[Radio track: Brady Grimes is the company’s operations manager.]] ((Brady Grimes, Ampersand Operations Manager)) (English)) “Rwanda has really set up the model for what building the EV industry could look like in the region and I think a lot of other countries have seen the results here, have seen the progress that we have made and others and want to sort of replicate that in their own countries. So, while Rwanda is definitely the farthest so long with the incentives and policies around e-mobility, we do see other countries in the region coming up quickly.” ((NARRATOR)) OX Ntuma Operations Manager Ferdinand Munezero says their electric trucking is not quite ready to expand in Africa. ((Ferdinand Munezero, OX Ntuma Operations Manager)) ((English 24 secs)) “We are very excited to expand but we can’t expand till we maximize the market that is available in Rwanda. We still have people that are spending a night on the road. We have a few vehicles, and we are planning to maximize [them] by bringing in more vehicles. Till we maximize that market, then we can go into other countries.” ((NARRATOR)) Ox Ntuma says they also plan to install refrigeration in their trucks to better transport fresh produce over long distances. ((Senanu Tord, for VOA news, Kigali, Rwanda.))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date February 8, 2023 12:52 EST
- Byline Senanu Tord
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America