The Federal Government says it will collaborate with the private sector to make Electric Vehicles (EVs) available and affordable for Nigerians.
The Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu, said this when he addressed newsmen on the sidelines of the Validation Workshop of the Draft National Action Plan for the Development of EVs in Nigeria, in Abuja.
The workshop, organised on Tuesday, by the council, has as its theme, ”Positioning Nigeria among the leading countries in Vehicle Electrification”.
According to Aliyu, buying an EV entails paying more when initially purchasing the vehicle, but the total cost of ownership is much more less.
He said: “This is because one is dealing with a machine that does not need those things that could typically go wrong in a traditional petrol or diesel engine.
“No engine oil change, piston, plugs, crank shaft and all those things that can typically go wrong in a traditional petrol or diesel engine are absent in an EV.
“So, the total cost of ownership, the total amount of money that you spend over a life time of the vehicle is much less.”
According to the director-general, the council is using the National Automotive Industry Development Plan(NAIDP)2023 and this specific EV policy to push forward a vehicle financing scheme.
He said: “With this, Nigerians could put down just a little bit of the cost of an EV, drive it off to their homes and pay up within five to six years.
“We believe this will really tremendously help towards attainability of such vehicles.
“And then we are also working with both manufacturers within and outside to introduce and produce EVs that are cheaper.
“So, as we move forward we will work both with the private sector and other government agencies to bring down the cost of EVs.”
According to Aliyu, the main objective of the policy is to put forward both physical and non-physical incentives to promote the production and introduction of EVs in Nigeria.
He said it also ensured the action plan that enabled the development of these types of vehicles in the country was put in place.
On the charging infrastructure for the EVs, Aliyu said NADDC developed 300 per cent solar powered EV charging stations in some Nigerian Universities to aid technology transfer.
He said they were built at the University of Lagos, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto, with the fourth one in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, which had a fast charger.
Aliyu said: “We are collaborating with more universities to set up more charging infrastructure and that is purely government side.
”Already, there are private sectors that have set up charging stations and we have been working with them, supporting them to set up charging infrastructure.
”If everything gets according to plan and if we get the necessary approvals, before the end of the year, we will be able to see these charging stations pop up across the country.
”Making it easy to own these electric vehicles, at the same time make it expedite, the production of these types of vehicles in the country.”
The Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission(ICRC), Michael Ohiani, represented by the commission’s Director of Research, Planning and Statistics, Emmanuel Onwodi, reiterated the commission’s desire to support the project.
Ohiani, while congratulating the NADDC boss, said the commission remained committed to the vision and would render all the necessary support to ensure an effective PPP arrangement.
Representatives of the Rural Electrification Agency, Vasco Technologies, OMAA Motors, Jet Systems, Lanre Shitu Motors and Phoenix renewables, among others also reiterated their commitment to the project.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria