DEVELOPING NATIONS
www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com // July 2019 // 77
EVUM ACAR
Spun off a project at the Technical University
of Munich, startup company EVUM Motors will
begin production of the aCar in Germany in 2020.
Accessible, modular and fully electric, it’s developed
for the mobility needs of sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia, but also enables decentralized assembly
for rural communities.
Durability testing was carried out in Ghana, where
a network of SMEs will begin building the aCar
next year using components from Europe in 2021.
It features a two-motor four-wheel drive, a power
supply for external equipment and solar panels,
with a chassis that can be adapted to move goods or
people. EVUM hopes better mobility could slow the
rapid urbanization of emerging markets.
infrastructure remains a high priority for
governments in these markets,” he says. “And,
until the Paris Agreement in 2015, o cial
commitments to take action on climate change
did not focus on any emerging markets.”
However, advanced markets also have a
legacy of combustion engine familiarity which
is hard to overcome. Koerner points out that
Europeans, for example, have high vehicle
ownership rates and cover long distances due
to plentiful road infrastructure. This
expectation of similar usability for EVs puts
pressure on charging networks and the grid,
which is diff erent for emerging markets.
Instead, the grid characteristics in less
developed regions could prove ideal. Sub-
Saharan Africa and Latin America already have
an abundance of renewable power with high
shares of low carbon electricity in the mix,
further enhancing their environmental
benefi ts. Charging electric vehicles could also
overcome regional variations in grid demand,
mitigating blackouts and reducing costly
over-supply, which could ultimately lower
electricity prices for end-users.
“There’s a real opportunity for exporting
vehicle-to-grid technology to emerging
markets to build into infrastructure resilience,”
continues Lewis-Jones. “In areas where power
outages are common and can cause
emergencies after severe weather, EVs may
be well placed to provide small amounts of
power back to the grid or to buildings in
isolated locations.
“For more remote populations of emerging
markets, there may be an exciting opportunity
for off -grid solutions combining a number of
new energy technologies such as solar, battery
storage, EV charging and electric
vehicles. This may help people
leapfrog 20th century pathways
for high cost infrastructure
projects and deliver new services
that are already low emission.”
Koerner says this could also
phase out other sources of
pollution: “In Nairobi, most
standalone houses have backup
generators, which could be
perfectly substituted by an electric vehicle. You
need the power when you are there, and your
car is there when you are. The battery capacity
is enough to power basic needs in the house,
and it’s a good opportunity to replace some
of this backup power,” he explains.
Appropriate solutions will vary by market,
and the relative ease of manufacture compared
to a combustion engine plant off ers fertile
ground for startups. State-backed Ugandan
company Kiira Motors, for example, is
constructing a factory for what will be Africa’s
fi rst fully-electric city car and plug-in hybrid.
The aim isn’t only to off er environmental
transport, but to create jobs and establish
a value chain locally.
Rwandan newcomer Ampersand has similar
aims. Its electric motorcycle is designed as an
alternative to the three million two-wheeled
2
3
3
3
2. EVs are considered a
future-proof technology
3. The aCar enables
decentralized assembly
for rural communities
/www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com