Kantanka Automobile to produce electric vehicles

Kantanka Automobile will soon introduce electric vehicles (EV) onto the Ghanaian market.

Already, the company has commenced efforts to locally build the vehicles to enhance the country’s drive towards the use of electric cars.

Professor Kwabena Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation, disclosed this in a statement read on his behalf at a dissemination workshop on Electric Mobility Technology (EMT) Policy for implementation in Ghana, held on Tuesday in Accra.

The programme was organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with support from European Union, FiA Foundation, Global Fuel Economy Initiative, United Nations Environment, and Hewlett Foundation and sought to share knowledge and brainstorm on the EMT.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said the move by Kantanka Automobile and the application of new advances in EMT could significantly contribute towards improved air quality, energy efficiency and complement global efforts of to reducing transport related emissions and greenhouse gases.

“With the rising growth in vehicle numbers and increasing energy demand, there is an increasing pressure on countries that rely heavily on fuel imports to make adequate budgetary provisions,” he said.

The Minister noted that the global use of EV’s in the automobile mix would help reduce dependency on fossil fuels and improve public health.

Mr Ebenezer Appah-Sarpong, the Deputy Director of EPA, said in response to the growing concerns about energy cost, energy dependency and environmental damage, interest on adoption of EV had grown in wide scale.

“We conducted a recent study on cleaner bus standards, vehicle inventory and fuel economy standards and vehicular emissions and drafted policy strategies for implementation. In order not to be taken by storm, Ghana is planning ahead for the introduction of EV,” he said.

Mr Adrew Kwakye, an official of the Ghana Road Transport Coordination Council, said with constant increase in petroleum prices and running cost of conventional vehicles EV was one of the good alternatives.

He urged government to come out with the appropriate policy framework, which would create the regulatory regime for EV to start operating in the country.